Commercial Systems for the Direct Detection of Explosives for Explosive Ordnance Disposal Tasks

Abstract

There are a number of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) tasks in which it is necessary to discriminate and identify UneXploded Ordnance (UXO) already detected by other means. What we seek is the capacity to characterize in a non-destructive way the munition's content, usually either explosive or inert (e.g., practice munition), if possible using a fairly mobile system and without direct contact. A number of existing technologies for the direct detection of explosives, applicable in EOD scenarios, are therefore characterized, and corresponding commercially available systems or advanced prototypes identified whenever possible. Some of the techniques are also useful for the detection of buried UXO or landmines, to which we refer whenever appropriate. We first concentrate on bulk explosive detection, in particular on neutron based systems exploiting gamma spectroscopy, which have the potential of detecting the explosive's nitrogen content and/or its other constituents (carbon, oxygen and hydrogen). Candidate systems exist, although most of them have as primary aim the discrimination of chemical munition. We then describe the application of trace explosive detection techniques, which seems to be less mature also due to the large number of parameters influencing the variables of interest (explosive vapor and particle concentration). Sampling is in this case of primary importance.