Performance of an air sampler and a gamma-ray detector in a small unmanned aerial vehicle

The performance of an air sampler and a small gamma-ray spectrometer was tested in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) able to carry payload with mass up to 0.5 kg. Operation of the sampler was investigated with the aid of radon progeny normally present in outdoor air. Detection limits for several transuranium nuclides in air are of the order of 0.3 Bq m−3 assuming 0.5 h sampling time and 1 h counting time in direct alpha spectrometry. Unshielded 137Cs and 60Co point sources at the ground level were used to test the CsI spectrometer. Detection limits are approximately 1 GBq or larger depending on the flying altitude.