Remotely Accessible Radiation Detection Laboratory for Distance Education

Abstract:

An essential part of any student’s curriculum in nuclear engineering is performing radiation detection experiments to gain a better understanding of the physical processes that are occurring. However, not all institutions are capable of providing the equipment or radiation sources necessary for such labs, nor do long-distance students have the ability to readily access these facilities. This research seeks to help remedy this problem by developing and testing a remotely accessible radiation detection laboratory system. Through this work, a student can connect to the experiment station via remote desktop and then conduct a variety of radiation detection experiments. This research is a proof of concept for the implementation of a remote lab that is accessible through an internet connection. The system consists of a host computer, attached radiation detection hardware, motorized equipment to allow manipulation of the lab elements, and a camera to provide visual feedback to the students. As part of distance laboratory courses, students would remotely access the host computer and conduct the experiments from their location. In this work, three different experiments were set up on the system and tested. The experiments were the identification of an unknown source using a sodium iodide (NaI) detector, determination of uranium enrichment using a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and dead time determination with a Geiger-Müller tube.