Abstract
In this work, a gamma ray Compton backscatter technique is used for imaging defects and thickness variations in insulated pipes and metal plates containing depressions of various diameters and at various depths from one side of the object. The scattered radiation was measured by a scintillation detector that scans the object using a two-dimensional mechanical scanning system. The gamma spectrum was displayed with a multichannel analyzer (MCA), and the energy window width was selected so that only Compton single scatter counts were measured. Images were constructed using the LabVIEW computer program. Successful images of defects on the outer surface of the object under the insulation were obtained, and the system was found to be able to detect wall thickness changes in large pipes with walls more than 15 mm thick. Low activity sources of 108 Bq (a few mCi) were used, and the dose rate near the surface is four orders of magnitude lower than conventional industrial radiography sources, permitting it to be much safer.