A non-intrusive neutron device for in situ detection of petroleum contamination in soil

This paper presents a non-intrusive method for quick and in-situ detection of soil contamination by petroleum products, a growing environmental problem. The proposed method extends the capability of common soil moisture gauges, by using two neutron detectors, one located near the source and the other far from it. The near-source detector measures the slowing-down of neutrons by hydrogen, while the response of the far detector is reflective of the diffusivity of the intervening material. Some experimental results are presented to demonstrate the viability of the proposed method.