Proactively identifying and interdicting transport of commodities associated with illicit nuclear materials and nuclear weapons shielded by high Z-number materials, such as lead, can help ensure effective nuclear nonproliferation. In an embodiment, a method for imaging an object on a surface includes exciting a surface with ultrasonic excitation from an ultrasonic transmitter having an ultrasonic transducer in contact with the surface. The method further includes imaging, at a processor, a two-dimensional representation of the object acoustically coupled to the surface based on the ultrasonic reflections received at an ultrasonic receiver via a receiving transducer in contact with the surface. This method can complement existing x-ray screening systems to increase the odds of detecting radiological materials.

An apparatus for inspecting an empty crate that is transported on a transport device includes an inspection device having a pulse generator, a processor, a sensor, and an uncoupling device. Prior to inspection, the uncoupling device uncouples the empty crate from the transport device. The pulse generator then excites vibrations in the empty crate, which the sensor receives and passes to a processor for analysis.

Systems, apparatuses and methods for growing marijuana plants, particularly for regulated purposes, for example medical purposes or in some jurisdictions recreational purposes, have automated subsystems with sensors to provide feedback information about system, apparatus and plant growth parameters to one or more controllers so that the one or more controllers can alter one or more parameters to provide optimal conditions for the growing and harvesting of the marijuana plants. In particular aspects, the systems, apparatuses and methods provide for control of odors produced during the growing of marijuana, root management of the marijuana plants and control over important levels of chemicals provided to the plants, for example enzymes and flavor additives.

A method and apparatuses to make an in-service measurement of the thickness and corrosion rate of the floor an aboveground or bulk underground storage tank. The preferred method is to use an off-the-shelf ultrasonic sensor that is placed on the end of a staff and inserted into an opening at the top of the tank to make one or more local measurements of the thickness and corrosion rate of the tank floor. When combined with the results of a previous out-of service internal inspection of the floor or an acoustic emission (AE) corrosion activity test performed with a vertical and horizontal array of three or more AE sensors placed on a staff and inserted into the liquid or on the external wall of the tank and show almost no corrosion activity, these local measurements can be used to determine the thickness and corrosion rate for the entire tank floor.

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for tagging and acoustically characterizing containers.

A method of performing a selected task in a tank at least partially filled with an energetic substance includes, in part, configuring a mobile platform to be inherently safe by positioning spark-generating components in either or both of: (i) an inherently safe enclosure that prevents a spark occurring inside the inherently safe enclosure from passing to an exterior of the inherently safe enclosure, and (ii) a spark-neutralizing body formed of at least one non-flammable substance and positioned inside an enclosure, the spark-neutralizing body blocking direct contact between a spark from the enclosed spark-generating component and an energetic substance from occurring inside the at least one enclosure. The method also includes positioning at least one spark-generating component not inside any inherently safe enclosure that prevents a spark occurring inside the inherently safe enclosure from passing to an exterior of the inherently safe enclosure. The sparks are capable of igniting the energetic substances.

A method of performing a selected task in a tank containing an energetic substance uses an inherently safe mobile platform that includes a marker detector, a control unit, a power supply, a propulsion system, and an inherently safe enclosure. The inherently safe enclosure prevents a spark occurring inside the inherently safe enclosure from passing to an exterior of the inherently safe enclosure. All spark-generating components of the mobile platform are positioned inside the inherently safe enclosure. The method includes lowering the mobile platform into the tank, at least partially submerging the mobile platform in the energetic substance, and detecting a marker using the marker detector. No active physical carrier connects the mobile platform to an object exterior of the tank while the mobile platform is in the tank.

Methods for quantitatively determining the time (TNI) between (1) the application of this method and (2) the time at which the next out-of-service API 653 internal inspection of a steel, field-erected, aboveground storage tank (AST) containing petroleum/water products should be performed. These methods combine four in-service measurements of the thickness, integrity, and corrosion rate of the tank bottom with an empirical corrosion rate cumulative frequency distribution (CFD) for the tank of interest to develop a Bayesian tank bottom survival probability distribution to determine TNI. During this entire TNI time period, the risk of tank bottom failure is less than at the time these methods were applied. If available, the results of a previous out-of-service API 653 internal inspection are also used. These methods can be applied at any time while the tank is in-service to update the internal inspection interval previously determined in an out-of-service internal inspection of the tank.

A pressure testing method capable of determining with a higher accuracy whether a high-pressure tank is deteriorated. The pressure testing method tests the high-pressure tank that includes a liner and a fiber-reinforced resin layer covering the outer surface of the liner and that has been used while repeating charge and discharge of gas to and from the inside thereof after undergoing a pressure resistance test conducted at a pressure resistance test pressure. The method increases the internal pressure of the high-pressure tank filled with gas to a test pressure that is lower than the pressure resistance test pressure, so that a plurality of AE waveforms is extracted from output waveforms of an AE sensor that detects AE waves generated in the high-pressure tank, and determines whether the high-pressure tank is deteriorated, on the basis of the extracted AE waveforms.

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for tagging and acoustically characterizing containers.