TY - JOUR

T1 - Neutron assay in mixed radiation fields with a 6Li-loaded plastic scintillator

AU - Balmer, Matthew

AU - Gamage, Kelum

AU - Taylor, Graeme

N1 - This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication/published in Journal of Instrumentation. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at doi:10.1088/1748-0221/10/08/P08012

PY - 2015/8/21

Y1 - 2015/8/21

N2 - A novel technique for assay of thermal and fast neutrons in a 6Li-loaded plastic scintillator is presented. Existing capture-gated thermal neutron detection techniques were evaluated with the 6Li-loaded plastic scintillator studied in this work. Using simulations and experimental work, shortcomings in its performance were highlighted. As a result, it was proposed that by separating the combined fast and thermal neutron events from gamma events, using established pulse shape discrimination techniques, the thermal neutron events could then be assayed. Experiments were conducted at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, performing neutron assays with seven different neutron fields using the proposed technique. For each field, thermal and fast neutron content was estimated and were shown to corroborate with the seven synthesised fields.

AB - A novel technique for assay of thermal and fast neutrons in a 6Li-loaded plastic scintillator is presented. Existing capture-gated thermal neutron detection techniques were evaluated with the 6Li-loaded plastic scintillator studied in this work. Using simulations and experimental work, shortcomings in its performance were highlighted. As a result, it was proposed that by separating the combined fast and thermal neutron events from gamma events, using established pulse shape discrimination techniques, the thermal neutron events could then be assayed. Experiments were conducted at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, performing neutron assays with seven different neutron fields using the proposed technique. For each field, thermal and fast neutron content was estimated and were shown to corroborate with the seven synthesised fields.

KW - Scintillators and scintillating fibres and light guides

KW - Pattern recognition, cluster finding, calibration and fitting methods

KW - Instrumentation for neutron sources

KW - Neutron detectors (cold, thermal, fast neutrons)

U2 - 10.1088/1748-0221/10/08/P08012

DO - 10.1088/1748-0221/10/08/P08012

M3 - Journal article

VL - 10

JO - Journal of Instrumentation

JF - Journal of Instrumentation

SN - 1748-0221

IS - 8

M1 - P08012

ER -