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OCR for page R1
THE PRACTICALITY OF PULSED FAST NEUTRON TRANSMISSION SPECTROSCOPY FOR AVIATION SECURITY
Panel on Assessment of the Practicality of Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy for Aviation Security
National Materials Advisory Board
Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems
National Research Council
NNMAB-482-6
Washington, D.C. 1999
OCR for page R2
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
This study by the National Materials Advisory Board was conducted under Contract No. DTFA03-94-C00068 with the Federal Aviation Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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OCR for page R3
Panel On Assessment Of The Practicality Of Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy For Aviation Security
PATRICK J. GRIFFIN (chair),
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico
ROBERT BERKEBILE, consultant,
Leesburg, Florida
HOMER BOYNTON, consultant,
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
LEN LIMMER, consultant,
Fort Worth, Texas
HARRY MARTZ,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California
CLINTON OSTER, JR.,
Indiana University, Bloomington
National Materials Advisory Board Liaison
JAMES WAGNER,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
National Materials Advisory Board Staff
RICHARD CHAIT, director
CHARLES T. HACH, staff officer
SANDRA HYLAND, senior program manager (until June 1998)
JANICE M. PRISCO, project assistant
Government Liaisons
JOHN DALY,
U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
ANTHONY FAINBERG,
Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C.
PAUL JANKOWSKI,
Federal Aviation Administration Technical Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
LYLE MALOTKY,
Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C.
ALAN K. NOVAKOFF,
Federal Aviation Administration Technical Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
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National Materials Advisory Board
EDGAR A. STARKE, JR. (chair),
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
JESSE BEAUCHAMP,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
FRANCIS DiSALVO,
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
EARL DOWELL,
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
EDWARD C. DOWLING,
Cyprus Amax Minerals Company, Englewood, Colorado
THOMAS EAGER,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
ALASTAIR M. GLASS,
Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, New Jersey
MARTIN E. GLICKSMAN,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
JOHN A.S. GREEN,
The Aluminum Association, Washington, D.C.
SIEGFRIED S. HECKER,
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
JOHN H. HOPPS, JR.,
Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia
MICHAEL JAFFE,
Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Summit, New Jersey
SYLVIA M. JOHNSON,
SRI International, Menlo Park, California
SHEILA F. KIA,
General Motors Research and Development Center, Warren, Michigan
LISA KLEIN,
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
HARRY LIPSITT,
Wright State University, Yellow Springs, Ohio
ALAN MILLER,
Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, Seattle, Washington
ROBERT PFAHL,
Motorola, Schaumberg, Illinois
JULIA PHILLIPS,
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico
KENNETH L. REIFSNIDER,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
JAMES WAGNER,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
JULIA WEERTMAN,
Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
BILL G.W. YEE,
Pratt and Whitney, West Palm Beach, Florida
RICHARD CHAIT, Director
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Preface
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation was established in 1958 to promote and ensure the safety of air travel. One objective of the FAA is to reduce the vulnerability of the civil air transport system to terrorist threats by employing procedural and technical means to detect and counter threats. The role of the FAA in aviation security also includes developing new technologies for aviation security through the FAA's research and development program.
One area of research being pursued by the FAA is accelerator-based nuclear technologies that detect explosives by measuring the elemental composition of the material under examination. Pulsed fast neutron transmission spectroscopy (PFNTS) is one of these element-specific detection technologies. PFNTS, however, has a number of practical limitations, including large size and weight, the necessity of radiation shielding, and the regulatory and safety issues associated with using neutron-producing equipment in an airport environment.
In the second interim report of the National Research Council's (NRC) Committee on Commercial Aviation Security (CCAS), the committee recommended that the FAA not pursue accelerator-based technologies for primary screening of checked baggage and not fund development projects for large accelerator-based hardware. The CCAS concluded that the detection performance of these methods should be better understood before the FAA addressed airport integration issues. In 1994, the FAA awarded Tensor Technology a two-year grant to build a multidimensional neutron radiometer (MDNR) airline security system. The detection performance of the MDNR showed that it could potentially meet the probability of detection (Pd) required for FAA certification for all but one of the required explosives categories. Based on these test results and in light of the recommendations of the CCAS, the FAA awarded Tensor a six-month cooperative agreement grant to present the company's evaluation of PFNTS compared to other, currently available technologies for the primary screening of passenger baggage for explosives and for the screening of cargo in airports.
In 1998, the FAA requested that the NRC review and evaluate Tensor Technology's assessment of PFNTS in light of the CCAS's recommendations and technical developments since the second interim report. In response to the FAA's request, the NRC convened the Panel on Assessment of the Practicality of Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy for Aviation Security under the auspices of the CCAS. The panel was charged with evaluating the practicality of PFNTS for primary screening of passenger baggage or for screening cargo, as compared to currently available x-ray computed tomography (CT)-based systems.
This report evaluates the practicality of PFNTS for aviation security under current performance requirements, as compared to FAA-certified x-ray CT-based systems. The panel also provides several recommendations for prioritizing research to address the technical limitations of PFNTS in the event that funds are appropriated for the continued development of this technology. It should be noted that the panel does not support or oppose such appropriations. It should also be noted that solving the technical challenges of PFNTS will not address the practical limitations (e.g., size and weight) of this technology, which may be the most important factors in determining the role of PFNTS in aviation security.
Patrick J. Griffin, chair
Panel on Assessment of the Practicality of Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy for Aviation Security
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Acknowledgments
The Panel on Assessment of the Practicality of Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy for Aviation Security would like to acknowledge the individuals who contributed to this study, including the following speakers: Curtis Bell, Federal Aviation Administration; Anthony Fainberg, Federal Aviation Administration; Richard Lanza, Massachussetts Institute of Technology; Thomas "Gill" Miller, Tensor Technology; John Overley, University of Oregon; Fred Roder, Federal Aviation Administration; and Peter K. Van Staagan, Tensor Technology. The panel is also grateful for the contributions of the contracting office technical representatives, Paul Jankowski and Alan K. Novakoff. In addition, the panel is appreciative of the insights provided by John Daly, U.S. Department of Transportation; Rodger Dickey, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; Karl Erdman, Ebco Technology; Ronald Krauss, Federal Aviation Administration; Lyle Malotky, Federal Aviation Administration; Ronald Polillo, Federal Aviation Administration; and Johannes E. van Lier, University De Sherbrooke.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report: Jack Bullard, American Airlines; Robert Gagne, Food and Drug Administration; Robert E. Green, Johns Hopkins University; James Hall, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; John LaRue, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; Hyla Napadensky, Napadensky Energetics (retired); and John Strong, College of William and Mary. While the individuals listed above have provided constructive comments and suggestions, it must be emphasized that responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the NRC.
For organizing panel meetings and directing this report to completion, the panel would like to thank Charles Hach, Sandra Hyland, Lois Lobo, Janice Prisco, and Pat Williams, staff members of the National Materials Advisory Board. The panel is also appreciative of the efforts of Carol R. Arenberg, editor, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems.
OCR for page R7
Acronyms
CCAS
Committee on Commercial Aviation Security
CFR
Code of Federal Regulations
CT
computed tomography
EDS
explosives-detection system
EIS
Environmental Impact Statement
FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
MDNR
multidimensional neutron radiometer
NMAB
National Materials Advisory Board
NRC
National Research Council
Pd
probability of detection
Pfa
probability of false alarm
PFNTS
pulsed fast neutron transmission spectroscopy
RCRA
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
SEIPT
Security Equipment Integrated Product Team
TLD
thermoluminescent dosimeter
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Contents
Executive Summary
1
1
Introduction
6
Overview of Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy,
6
Background of This Study,
6
Organization of This Report,
8
2
Principle of Bulk Explosives Detection
9
X-ray-Based Technologies,
9
Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy,
10
3
Laboratory Tests of Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy
13
University of Oregon Blind Tests,
13
Tensor Technology Blind Tests,
14
Detection of Class A Explosives,
14
Assessment of Detection Performance,
15
4
Baseline Characteristics of Explosives-Detection Systems Based on X-Ray-Computed Tomography
17
Test Data from the FAA Technical Center,
17
Operational Demonstration,
17
5
Tensor Technology Report on the Multidimensional Neutron Radiometer Airline Security System
19
Technical Capabilities and Physical Attributes,
19
Operational Capabilities,
24
Cargo Inspection,
25
6
Comparison of Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy and FAA-Certified Explosives-Detection Systems
26
Performance,
26
Operations,
27
Airport Integration,
31
Licensing and Regulations,
32
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7
Conclusions and Recommendations
35
Questions Posed by the FAA,
35
Prototype,
36
Research,
37
References
40
Biographical Sketches of Panel Members
42
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Tables, Figures, and Boxes
TABLES
3-1
Performance of the University of Oregon Explosives-Detection Algorithm in Blind Tests
13
3-2
Performance of the Tensor Explosives-Detection Algorithm in Blind Tests
14
4-1
Performance Test Results for the InVision CTX-5000 SP and CTX-5500 DS
17
4-2
Summary of Open Testing of CTX-5000 SP at San Francisco International Airport
18
6-1
Baseline Characteristics/Attributes Used in This Assessment
28
FIGURES
2-1a
Normalized nitrogen and oxygen distributions determined by PFNTS from the contents of suitcases, with and without explosives
11
2-1b
Normalized carbon and hydrogen distributions determined by PFNTS from the contents of suitcases, with and without explosives
11
2-2
Total cross section of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen as a function of energy
12
3-1
Neural net values during Tensor blind testing for a slurry sample at an angle in a suitcase
15
3-2
Gray-scale maps from B-matrix during University of Oregon blind tests of a bag containing an explosive in an iron pipe sloping up to the right
15
5-1
Artist's conception of the layout of the MDNR
20
5-2
Possible baggage-flow path for the MDNR
22
5-3
Photograph of the Ebco TR19 cyclotron accelerator
23
BOXES
ES-1
CCAS Recommendations for Accelerator-Based Explosives-Detection Technologies
2
1-1
CCAS Recommendations for Accelerator-Based Explosives-Detection Technologies
7
1-2
Statement of Task for the Panel on Assessment of the Pulsed Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy for Aviation Security
8
6-1
Selected CFR Regulations Relevant to PFNTS
33
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