Development of a liquid scintillator neutron multiplicity counter (LSMC)

A new neutron multiplicity counter is being developed that utilizes the fast response of liquid scintillator detectors. The ability to detect fast (vs. moderated) fission neutrons makes possible a coincidence gate of the order of tens of nanoseconds (vs. tens of microseconds). A neutron counter with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2007-08, Vol.579 (1), p.192-195
Main Authors: Frame, Katherine, Clay, Willam, Elmont, Tim, Esch, Ernst, Karpius, Peter, MacArthur, Duncan, McKigney, Edward, Santi, Peter, Smith, Morag, Thron, Jonathan, Williams, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Liquid scintillator
Neutron detection
Neutron multiplicity
Nondestructive assay
Nuclear safeguards
Special nuclear material
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Summary:A new neutron multiplicity counter is being developed that utilizes the fast response of liquid scintillator detectors. The ability to detect fast (vs. moderated) fission neutrons makes possible a coincidence gate of the order of tens of nanoseconds (vs. tens of microseconds). A neutron counter with such a narrow gate will be virtually insensitive to accidental coincidences, making it possible to measure items with a high single neutron background to greater accuracy in less time. This includes impure Pu items with high (α, n) rates as well as items of low-mass HEU where a strong active interrogation source is needed. Liquid scintillator detectors also allow for energy discrimination between interrogation source neutrons and fission neutrons, allowing for even greater assay sensitivity. Designing and building a liquid scintillator multiplicity counter (LSMC) requires a symbiotic effort of simulation and experiment to optimize performance and mitigate hardware costs in the final product. We present preliminary Monte-Carlo studies using the GEANT toolkit.
ISSN:0168-9002
1872-9576
DOI:10.1016/j.nima.2007.04.038