High energy X-ray imaging technology for the detection of dangerous materials in air freight containers

In the context of the German aviation security research and development project SILUFRA (secure air freight transport chains), BAM has developed a high-resolution and high-energy X-ray imaging technology for the reliable detection of dangerous and illicit materials in densely packed air freight containers. In the developed technology, a novel combination of high-energy (2-7.5 MeV) X-ray betatron as the radiation source and a high-resolution digital detector array (DDA) for the X-ray imaging was utilized to improve the probability of detecting contraband and explosive materials by enhancing the spatial and contrast resolution in the digital X-ray image. In addition, flexible rotations of the high-energy X-ray source and the digital detector array can lead to clarify the suspicious region of interest (ROI) in air freight containers efficiently. Thus, reduces the false alarm rates and the need for expensive manual inspections of the whole container load. In order to evaluate the detection efficiency, we carried out the experimental investigations on a real air freight container loaded with typical cargo materials such as heavy automobile components and electronic products as well as mock-up dangerous and contraband materials. Furthermore, the material discrimination in the radiographic images was evaluated based on the dual high-energy X-ray imaging method. Finally, important applications of the proposed imaging technology to the air cargo security are discussed.