Improving the Presage® polymer radiosensitivity for hot cell and glovebox 3D characterization.

RadBall is a novel, passive, radiation detection device that provides 3D mapping of radiation from areas where measurements have not been possible previously due to lack of access or extremely high radiation doses. This kind of technology is beneficial when decommissioning and decontamination of nuclear facilities occur. The key components of the RadBall technology include a tungsten outer shell that houses a radiosensitive PRESAGE polymer. The 1.0-cm-thick tungsten shell has a number of holes that allow photons to reach the polymer, thus generating radiation tracks that are analyzed to characterize the radiation sources within the contaminated area being considered. Facilities being mapped frequently have to be shut down to minimize radiation exposures to workers; therefore, reducing the mapping or characterization time is significant. The objective of this study was to reduce the RadBall deployment time by increasing the radiosensitivity of the PRESAGE formulation. The new formulation is four times more radiosensitive than the original formulation. Consequently, RadBall deployment times can be reduced fourfold, which is a considerable improvement.