US 12,106,866 B2
Acoustic tracking system and method for nuclear sources
Khaled Mouffok, Sugar Land, TX (US); Karidja Louise-Olivia Djibo, Sugar Land, TX (US); and Alexey Alexandrovich Gretzky, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Appl. No. 18/697,908
Filed by SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, Sugar Land, TX (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 11, 2022, PCT No. PCT/US2022/046239
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 2, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/059936, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 13, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/262,292, filed on Oct. 8, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0296968 A1, Sep. 5, 2024
Int. Cl. G21F 5/015 (2006.01); G01S 19/14 (2010.01); G01T 1/167 (2006.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.01)
CPC G21F 5/015 (2013.01) [G01S 19/14 (2013.01); G01T 1/167 (2013.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.02)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a storage frame having one or more shelves;
one or more radioactive source storage apparatuses, wherein each of the one or more radioactive source storage apparatuses is disposed on one of the one or more shelves, and wherein each of the one or more radioactive source storage apparatuses comprise:
a shield frame configuring an internal volume;
a sensing device positioned within the internal volume, wherein the sensing device is configured to detect a radioactive source and generate a signal;
a first acoustic transmitter/receiver communicatively coupled to the sensing device and placed within the internal volume, wherein the first acoustic transmitter/receiver is configured to receive the signal generated by the sensing device, and wherein, when the first acoustic transmitter/receiver receives the signal generated by the sensing device, the first acoustic transmitter/receiver is configured to generate a first acoustic signal; and
a second acoustic transmitter/receiver located on an exterior of the shield frame, the second acoustic transmitter/receiver configured to receive the first acoustic signal from the first acoustic transmitter/receiver and configured to generate a second acoustic signal; and
an external acoustic transmitter/receiver, wherein the external acoustic transmitter/receiver is disposed on an external surface of the storage frame, and wherein the external acoustic transmitter/receiver is configured to receive the second acoustic signal from each of the one or more radioactive source storage apparatuses.