Nuclear and Radiological Science Group
The Group conducts education, research, consultancy and testing in radiological and nuclear science.
It supports a range of courses with fundamentals of radiation science as well as contributing to the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defence science courses and its premium nuclear weapons effects course, spanning blast, thermal and EMP alongside radiation effects.
It is well supported with numerous laboratories including modern teaching space, dedicated irradiation space and an underground multi-chambered research laboratory.
Its resources include a wide range of portable sealed sources offering, alpha, beta, gamma and neutron radiation along with two high intensity fixed gamma irradiation cells, one being the largest of its kind in the UK. It also has a 2.5 megavolt Van de Graff accelerator offering controllable mono-energetic light ions in vacuum or air, and intense controllable neutron fluxes from a deuterium on beryllium neutron generator. The Group also includes X and gamma radiography facilities and a state of the art X-ray diffraction facility.
The Group is equipped with a wide range of detection, identification and monitoring equipment including portable high and low resolution gamma spectroscopy, alpha spectrometry and survey and contamination monitoring equipment.
The research of the Group includes the characterisation of the elemental, isotopic, crystalline and physical structure of materials and objects utilising radiation, the radiation effects on materials (especially polymers) and radiological aspects of CBRN, especially in terms of threat, detection and response.
The consultancy and testing of the Group has included environmental surveys, materials characterisation, radiography, irradiation for materials modification, hardness testing for nuclear environments and space applications, equipment procurement and threat analysis.
Radiation Facilities for Research and Education
Dr Matthew Healy
T: +44 (0)1793 785736
E: m.j.f.healy@cranfield.ac.uk
