Cosmic Rays Can 3D-Scan Nuclear Reactors

 Scanning reactors in 3D.  For analysis, maintenance.

Cosmic Rays Can 3D-Scan Nuclear Reactors

IEEE Spectrum.Charles Q. Choi, February 8, 2023

Researchers at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission found that muography can be used to generate three-dimensional (3D) images of the internal structures of nuclear reactors. Muography, which involves capturing muons (particles generated by cosmic rays hitting Earth's atmosphere) as they pass through an object, previously was limited to producing two-dimensional (2D) images of complex objects. The researchers used muography to scan the G2 reactor in Marcoule, France, using four muon telescopes. They produced 27 scans from over 20 locations around the reactor, then employed a tomography reconstruction algorithm to assemble the 2D scans into a 3D map of the reactor's internal structure, which closely matched known models of the reactor in terms of dimensions and shapes.

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