Method for monitoring an unknown container or the contents in a volume, monitoring system for being used with said method, and radiation detector for such a monitoring system

摘要

A method for monitoring a container or the contents in a volume (39, 47), including allowing at least one of a beta, gamma, neutron, and proton radiation emerging from said container or volume (39, 47), and/or secondary particles or radiation brought forth by said radiation, to pass through a measuring volume (12, 12′) of at least one radiation detector (10, 10′, 10″), said measuring volume (12, 12′) containing a noble gas and/or a noble gas isotope, or a mixture of noble gases and/or noble gas isotopes and detecting the photons generated within said measuring volume (12, 12′) by an interaction (18, W1, . . . , W4) of the radiation with the noble gas or noble gases and/or their isotopes of the measuring volume (12, 12′). The output of said photon detecting means (15, 16, 53) is then used to derive information about the container or the contents in said volume (39, 47), whereby this information is used to discriminate protons, neutrons, beta and gamma rays respectively.