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Newsletter:  Dec 2001/ Issue 1
$100,000 Grant Awarded for Development of Mine Detection Device

On June 12, Richard A. Craig of PNNL’s Engineering Physics Group received a $100,000 grant from the Christopher Columbus Foundation through the 2001 Discover Magazine Technology Innovation Awards for his work on a mine detection device, called the Timed Neutron Detector (TND). The TND is a marked achievement because it detects both metal and plastic landmines, is portable, easy to use and inexpensive, making it financially accessible to developing countries, where most undetected landmines are located.

Landmines are a major global concern. On average, about 22,000 individuals are maimed or killed by landmines each year and, according to the United Nations, approximately 110 million landmines remain undetected in 64 countries around the world.

Development of the TND draws on many years of experience in radiation detection and arms control treaty verification at PNNL. The TND works by detecting hydrogen, found in the explosive material and casings of both plastic and metal landmines, by timing the rate at which Californium-252 neutrons projected from the TND exit and return to the device; neutrons that interact only with soil exit and return at roughly the same speed, while those encountering hydrogen slow down.

The TND can either be used alone or with other sensor devices such as the slant-angle holographic imaging system (SAHI), or ground penetrating radar holographic imaging system (GPRHI), which create real-time, 3-D images to aid visual detection of landmines. The $100,000 grant received by Craig is being used to further refine the TND. A mock landmine field test for the device took place this winter.

This year’s Discover Magazine award ceremony was held at the Manhattan Center in New York City and is the twelfth consecutive annual ceremony to recognize science and technology achievements to be held by the magazine. Robert Wind, a member of PNNL’s Biomolecular Networks Initiative team, was also among the 2001 winners. Wind received an award for creating an optics and magnetic resonance microscope enabling new insight into cellular activity. The PNNL winners were featured with the other award recipients in Discover Magazine’s July 2001 issue.