Radiation monitoring: ORNL builds sensors to detect nuclear material in fuel facilities

Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a compact detector for continuous monitoring of radioactive material accumulation in nuclear facility ducts. The device uses a cheap $1–2 plastic scintillator instead of $10,000 components, scans ducts once a minute, and transmits data via Ethernet.

• Detector mounts on duct and scans it once a minute
• Runs up to a month on battery or real-time via PoE
• Plastic scintillator costs $1–2 vs $10,000 for analogues
• AI algorithm trained on real data sends instant alerts