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A comparative study on the performance of digital detector systems for high energy applications
(2014)
For cast components reaching or exceeding total material thicknesses of 150mm, high energy sources such as linear accelerators or Betatrons are required in order to obtain reasonable exposure times. In this study, the performance of digital detector systems, involving imaging plates (IP) and digital detector arrays (DDA), was evaluated with respect to the testing class B requirements as formulated in the standard EN ISO 17636-2. As a reference, traditional radiographic film and a Cobalt-60 source was used. With film exposures, testing class B was achieved with Co-60 and Betatron (7.5 MV) at longer exposure times. The preliminary results show that the testing class B was not obtained with the examined digital detector arrays (DDA) and the high resolution imaging plates (IP) , even at 40, 60 and 80 minutes exposure time with a 7.5 MV Betatron. Class A was achieved using high resolution imaging plates with optimized metal filters between object and IPs and a high resolution DDA with intermediate Cu filters. Class A was also achieved applying a DDA with lower basic spatial resolution than required by Table B.13 of EN ISO 17636-2, but using the compensation principle as described in this standard. The next generation of digital detector arrays might potentially be able to obtain class B performance with the expected spatial resolution and sensitivity improvements.
The progress in X-ray detector electronics (sensitivity and speed) allows meanwhile fast single photon detection by a matrix detector. Combined photon counting and energy discrimination is implemented in the electronic circuit of each detector pixel. The company XCounter developed detectors based on CdTe single crystals, which can be tiled to larger areas and have a pixel size of 100ìm. The largest area available in beginning of 2014 is 50x75 mm². These detectors have very promising properties, which make them very suitable for NDT applications:
1. A CdTe attenuation layer of 750 µm thickness allows efficient X-ray detection up to ca. 300 keV. In counting mode only photon noise is important; no other detector noise sources need to be considered. There is no Offset signal without radiation.
2. Each of the detector pixels has two energy thresholds. These can be used for dual energy imaging for materials separation. Also the suppression of scattered radiation by energy thresholding will improve the image contrast sensitivity. First experiments will be presented which demonstrate the advantages of this new detector technology over the conventional charge integrating detectors.
A challenge is the development of a modified detector calibration procedure, which becomes critical at longer exposure times.
Tomographical Computer Aided Radiology (TomoCAR) is based on the mechanical position control of
an X-ray tube in front of a welding seam and the application of a planar array detector behind it. Several hundred
radiometric projections in small angle steps are acquired. The tomographical reconstruction allows the three-dimensional
(3D) representation of the defects. A new radiometric array detector system with a small internal
unsharpness and high image contrast is used for the 2- and 3-dimensional visualization and sizing of planar defects
with a defect opening of less than 100 µm. This detector is based on a CMOS-flat panel with a direct converting
CdTe-single crystal layer. The small design allows the application of the mobile testing equipment for mechanized
X-ray inspection in industrial plants. The physical pixel size of the detector amounts to 0,1x0,1 mm². Nevertheless,
this system yields a better spatial resolution than indirect converting detectors (e.g. cameras with fluorescence
layers of Gd2O2S). It allows the reliable detection of planar defects with openings far below the detector pixel size
by subpixel resolution.
'TomoCAR' is qualified at present in the context with a German pilot study following to the ENIQ guidelines for
the employment within the nuclear power industry.