Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Real-time digital pulse-shape discrimination in non-hazardous fast liquid scintillation detectors: prospects for safety and security
AU - Joyce, Malcolm
AU - Aspinall, Michael
AU - Cave, Frank
AU - Lavietes, Anthony
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) in fast, organic scintillation detectors is a long-established technique used to separate neutrons and $gamma$ rays in mixed radiation fields. In the analogue domain the method can achieve separation in real time, but all knowledge of the pulses themselves is lost thereby preventing the possibility of any post- or repeated analysis. Also, it is typically reliant on electronic systems that are largely obsolete and which require significant experience to set up. In the digital domain, PSD is often more flexible but significant post-processing has usually been necessary to obtain neutron/ $gamma$-ray separation. Moreover, the scintillation media on which the technique relies usually have a low flashpoint and are thus deemed hazardous. This complicates the ease with which they are used in industrial applications. In this paper, results obtained with a new portable digital pulse-shape discrimination instrument are described. This instrument provides real-time, digital neutron/ $gamma$-ray separation whilst preserving the synchronization with the time-of-arrival for each event, and realizing throughputs of $3 times 10^{6}$ events per second. Furthermore, this system has been tested with a scintillation medium that is non-flammable and not hazardous.
AB - Pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) in fast, organic scintillation detectors is a long-established technique used to separate neutrons and $gamma$ rays in mixed radiation fields. In the analogue domain the method can achieve separation in real time, but all knowledge of the pulses themselves is lost thereby preventing the possibility of any post- or repeated analysis. Also, it is typically reliant on electronic systems that are largely obsolete and which require significant experience to set up. In the digital domain, PSD is often more flexible but significant post-processing has usually been necessary to obtain neutron/ $gamma$-ray separation. Moreover, the scintillation media on which the technique relies usually have a low flashpoint and are thus deemed hazardous. This complicates the ease with which they are used in industrial applications. In this paper, results obtained with a new portable digital pulse-shape discrimination instrument are described. This instrument provides real-time, digital neutron/ $gamma$-ray separation whilst preserving the synchronization with the time-of-arrival for each event, and realizing throughputs of $3 times 10^{6}$ events per second. Furthermore, this system has been tested with a scintillation medium that is non-flammable and not hazardous.
KW - Instrumentation and measurement
KW - neutrons
KW - nuclear electronics
KW - nuclear measurements
U2 - 10.1109/TNS.2011.2174651
DO - 10.1109/TNS.2011.2174651
M3 - Journal article
VL - 59
SP - 1245
EP - 1251
JO - IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science
JF - IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science
SN - 0018-9499
IS - 4
ER -