Features and Methods of Protection against the Technogenic Acoustic Background Influencing the Character of γ Spectra Recorded by a Xenon γ Spectrometer

In this paper, the influence of a technogenic acoustic background on the formation of a γ spectrum recorded by a xenon γ spectrometer is considered. It is shown that the technogenic acoustic background significantly deforms the spectrum to broaden the total absorption peak and decrease its amplitudes as compared to the spectrum recorded in the absence of acoustic load. Such deformation of the total absorption peak leads to deliberately underestimated values for the parameters of radioactive contamination of the environment under the conditions of radiation accidents and, in the long run, to wrong decisions when ensuring the nuclear safety of personnel and population located near nuclear facilities where the radiation accident occurred. The observed deformation of the γ spectrum requires a protective coating of the γ spectrometer with porous rubber used to absorb acoustic loads. The results have proven to be satisfactory as a whole, but the weight and overall dimensions of the γ spectrometer have substantially increased. As an alternative protection instead of porous rubber, the authors propose to place the detector in a metallic thin-wall capsule and evacuate the air from it, i.e., to protect the xenon γ spectrometer with a “vacuum shell” formed in the absence of an elastic medium (air) in the capsule. This method of protection is characterized by simplicity and availability and does not require high financial expenditures.