X-RAY SCREENING PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

AND VERIFICATION SYSTEM

Setting the standard forinternation border security

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE FOR THE FACILITATION OF WORLD TRADE

UX-ray screening freight is an essential part of any layered security strategy.

100% X-ray screening for maritime, land and air freight is now a necessity in order to maintain the highest possible standard of international border security. This includes manifest verification; interdiction of contraband; screening for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) threats; and more recently, homeland security concerns over the smuggling of armaments and potential weapons of mass destruction (WMD) into other countries.

The US Government, following September 11, 2001, has been the primary instigator of initiatives, which has had subsequent flow- on effects to the global economic trading community.

As a result there have been many new developments in sensing technologies to support X-ray screening. However X-ray scanning machinery performance deteriorates with time. The rapidity of deterioration of X-Ray tubes and accelerators varies depending on operating parameter selection and duration of operation.

Preventative maintenance contracts with machinery retailers manage equipment risks to a point. However the use of a standard calibration trending model provides a better indicator of deteriorating X-ray scanner performance. It also saves time and money by allowing tests to be conducted frequently, with minimal downtime, leading to better decision making about maintenance, repairs or replacement of systems.

And until now there hasn’t been a fully comprehensive global standard as set by The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for testing the calibration and image quality control (QC) of medium to large scale X-ray screening devices commercially available.

“There have beenmajor security lapses in checking air cargo shipments at many German airports that have, ostensibly, paid greater attention to checking passengers than cargo, accord-ing to a German Interior Ministry report

leaked by a German newspaper.”

Manik Mehta, Cargonews Asia

THE WORLD’S ONLY FULLY COMPREHENSIVE MEDIUM TO LARGE X-RAY TESTING AND EVALUATION SYSTEM

XTE is the first patented standard for testing X-ray technologies used for the examination of air freight, shipping pallets and shipping containers.

The only commercially available system in the world, XTE provides the full range of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recognized tests for resolution, penetration and material discrimination.

Developed by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in collaboration with University of Canberra (UC), National Security Science and Technology Unit (NSSTU), Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Local Government (Infrastructure), Australian Customs Service (ACS), and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The standard consists of two test pieces - XTE-1 and XTE-2 - that holistically evaluate the performance of all scanners (from 140kV and above) within minutes.

The simple yet intelligent solution allows medium and large X-ray scanners to be calibrated to comply with regulators’ requirements as well as best practices in the global security industry.

XTE represents the best testing platform available for multiple testing mediums including air and steel, as well as comprehensive spatial testing arrangements.

PROVEN EFFECTIVEXTE was tested and validated by Michael Snyder & Curtis Bell, Ph.D. of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Science & Technology Directorate at the WilliamJ. Hughes Technical Centre in Atlantic City International Airport, New Jersey, USA in July 2013.

XTE is currently being used by Australian Customs and Border Protection Services at all major Australian container examination ports. The standard has also been tested in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and China.

“A good X-ray system will highlight shapes that are inconsistent with shapes of items expected to be in the container... Clear images (therefore) make it easier

for Customs officers to detect anomalies in a shipment. To maintain the required excellent performance, regular testing is essential”

Professor Dudley Creagh, Commonwealth Scientific Advisor

MEET REGULATORY STANDARDS& INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICEFOR GLOBAL SECURITY WITH XTE

Nine performance parameters tested,

ensuring compliance to ATSM and ISO quality

control

Fast, accurate and easy to use – providing results in

minutes with just one pass

Tests performance of existing equipment and

supports decision making of future X-ray purchases

Identify maintenance issues early by conducting

more regular scanner performance checks

COMPREHENSIVE TESTINGXTE-1 and XTE-2 together deliver 9 standardstests facilitated by the rotational positioning of the test device for differing X-ray beam delivery angles. The standards comply with the ASTM F792 and exceed ANSE N42.46 standard specifications, thereby providing a full range of recognised tests for resolution, penetration and material discrimination for large items.

FAST AND ACCURATEThe XTE test is conducted in a single pass, allowing evaluation of X-ray system performance within minutes instead of the current 3 - 4 hours. The evaluation procedure can therefore be scheduled more often, enabling you to monitor performance over time, as well as conduct it during normal operations with minimal throughput disruption.

USER-FRIENDLY SOFTWAREAvailable for all operating systems, and for desktop, laptop and tablet, the software and hardware is seamlessly integrated, thus allowing evaluation to be done after testing without compromising scanner’s downtime. Test data is also easily exported and recorded for audit purposes.

EASY TO USEThe XTE Cargo unit is forklift ready – no transport pallets are required. The XTE Lite has a trolley for easy transportation and loading onto the X-ray scanners.

MITIGATE EQUIPMENT FAILUREThe historical and trending information providedby the testing system can be used to support your decision making about X-ray scanning operations and infrastructure maintenance. The XTE can therefore help identify performance issues, enabling you to schedule maintenance in a timely manner.

MAKE BETTER PURCHASE DECISIONSThe XTE not only provides operational testing and evaluation of your current X-ray units but allows for acceptance testing and evaluation with the purchase of new X-ray systems. This ensures the X-ray systems purchased are operating as specified and immediately ready for service.

WHAT PRICE SAFETY?The cost of detecting and preventing just one disaster through the use of X-ray technology is priceless in both human and monetary terms. It is therefore difficult to assess the savings contribution of X-ray standards relative to the social benefits derived through keeping the X-ray systems at their peak operating condition.

Well maintained and tested X-ray equipment is a critical factor in fast, efficient and comprehensive security screening.

FEATURES AND TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The XTE system is the only commercially available system to provide comprehensive tests consis-tent with the internationally accepted small systems ASTM F792 standard, plus exceeds the more recent ANSI N42.46, designed for transportation security screening.

The system is designed to handle medium and large scanners ranging in energies between 140 keV and 2500 keV and beyond. The system is flexible and can be tuned to suit a single application as well as a range of X-ray and gamma transport security scanners.

PATENTEDPatent No: PCT/AU2009/000820For: “Imaging test piece for medium and large security x-ray scanners”Published as: EP 2300809 A1, CN102159939A, US20110266427, WO2009155658A1

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSXTE CARGO XTE LITE

Dimensions 1100mm x 1100mm x 850mm 930mm x 730mm x 830mmWeight (kg)* XTE 1 ~ 150-180kg

XTE 2 ~ 240-270kgXTE 1 ~70-80kg XTE 2 ~70-85kg

Usage Forklift ready – no transport pallets required

Optional trolley – ease of transportation & loading

Test plate angle adjustment 360 degrees in two degree incrementsOperation Safe operation – the test plates are balanced and gear operatedManufacturing compliance ISO 9000, ISO 14001, BizSafe certification

* Depends on specific models of scanner testers

FEATURESThe XTE system comprises two pallets – XTE-1 and XTE-2 – loaded with instruments and material simulating shapes and compositions, including contraband and security threats, found in freight. It delivers a comprehensive set of nine tests, facilitated by the rotational positioning of the test device for differing X ray beam delivery angles.

The testing requires a trained operator to interpret the test configurations and visual output; there-fore the system not only tests the performance of your equipment, it also tests the skills of the opera-tor – providing an end-to-end test.

TRAINING AND SUPPORT SERVICESTraining: Our expert team of trainers will provide initial comprehensive systems training, focusing on:• Software usage best practice• Interpreting the test results and decision making• Proper handling of the equipment to avoid damageIn addition to this, twice-yearly courses will be conducted to cater to new team members and to pro-vide a refresher for existing staff.

Support• A 1-year warranty on any manufacturing defect is provided.• The performance of any maintenance services will be available within 3 working days.

XTE IMAGING TEST SPECIFICATIONS

The XTE system involves 9 separate tests and results in a comprehensive Test Report. Tests measure the performanceof all medium and large X-ray units (with energy levels of at least 140 keV) in terms of 5 critical operational issues:

1 Resolution2 Spatial Resolution3 Contrast Sensitivity

4 Material Discrimination5 X-ray Penetration

THE 9 STANDARD TESTS Test Test Type Evaluation

1Image

Resolution

Test 1 is an image resolution test. It is made up of nine wires bent into a zigzag pattern The wire diameters range from ø (diameter) 10 to ø1. The wires are placed behind a steel step wedge with seven steps, with the first portion of the wires in air. The steel steps are in increments of 10 mm each. The step wedge and air portion create eight subsections of this test.

The test is scored by observing how many wires are visible for each thickness of steel and air

2Material

Discrimination in Air (Delrin)

Test 2 evaluates the thickness resolution of Delrin (explosive surrogate). It consists of a Delrin step wedge with steps that are 80mm, 40mm, 20mm, and 10mm thick. The portion of the step wedge used for this test sits in air.

The test is scoredby observing if each block can be clearly discriminated from its background

3Material

Discrimination in Air

(Polypropylene)

Similar to Test 2, Test 3 evaluates the thickness resolution of Polypropylene (contraband surrogate). It consists of a Polypropylene step wedge with steps 80mm, 40mm, 20mm, and 10mm thick. The portion of the step wedge used for this test sits in air.

The test is scoredby observing if each block can be clearly discriminated from its background

4Contrast

Sensitivity

Test 4 evaluates contrast sensitivity. The test consists of five steel bars ranging in thickness from 0.5mm to 20mm thick. The bars are placed behind a steel step wedge. There are seven steps in the wedge with 10mm increments for each step.

The test is scored by observing how many sections of the bars are visible behind the step wedge

5Materials

Discrimination behind Steel

Test 5 evaluates materials discrimination of Polypropylene and Delrin. It uses portions of the same step wedges used for Tests 2 and 3. The test consists of small regions where the Polypropylene and Delrin step wedges intersect, thus creating a set of boxes when imaged.

The test is scored by observing how many regions in the box pattern can be clearly discriminated from its background

6Spatial

Resolution in Air

This test evaluates spatial resolution through Perspex (also called Plexiglas). The test consists of sets of three bars, there are three different thicknesses of bar, and the sets are arranged in three different orientations. There are nine different groups of wires.

The test is scored by observing how many wire groups are clearly resolved without distortion

7Thickness Resolution

This test evaluates the thickness resolution and materials discrimination of materials with different effective atomic numbers (Zeff). This test consists of vertical step wedges of Polypropylene, Perspex, Delrin, Teflon (i.e., Polytetrafluoroethylene), and Aluminium arranged in decreasing Zeff values. This arrangement creates a set of rectangles when imaged.

The test is scored by observing how many rectangles are clearly discriminated from its background

8Spatial

Resolution behind Steel

This test evaluates the spatial resolution through steel. The test consists of the same wire groupings as in Test 1 arranged on increasing thicknesses of steel; there are three different thicknesses of steel on which the tests are mounted. The steel increases in thickness using 10mm steps.

The test is scored by observing how many wire groups are clearly resolved

9Penetration

through Steel

This test evaluates X-ray penetration through steel. It consists of a kite shaped plate of steel behind steel thickness ranging from 25mm to 400mm.

The test is scored by observing how many of the steel plates the kite shape can be observed