Smart Particle Collector with Real Time Spectroscopic Analysis
Facilities manufacturing materials for nuclear weapons programs release particulate matter to the environment. Particle collections from suspected facilities can help assess proliferation programs. SRNL designs and manufactures unique particle collectors for a variety of applications. The goal of this project is to develop new technologies to develop and manufacture smart particle collectors. Significant engineering advances to the collector were made using the Racetrack, an experimental breadboard setup based on the ACE 1.0 collector. Preliminary experimental results suggest significant improvement in the particle collection efficiency. The new prototype collector, “ESP-EV1”, relies on a two-stage collection region, with higher wire corona currents and voltages. Preliminary results also suggest that it is possible to extract nanoparticulates from a sample containing material from 100 nm to 10 micron-sized particulates. This project also developed new tools for spectroscopic validation of a sample and unique smart features for the collection system.