skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Recent Developments In Fast Neutron Detection And Multiplicity Counting With Verification With Liquid Scintillator

Abstract

For many years at LLNL, we have been developing time-correlated neutron detection techniques and algorithms for applications such as Arms Control, Threat Detection and Nuclear Material Assay. Many of our techniques have been developed specifically for the relatively low efficiency (a few percent) attainable by detector systems limited to man-portability. Historically, we used thermal neutron detectors (mainly {sup 3}He), taking advantage of the high thermal neutron interaction cross-sections. More recently, we have been investigating the use of fast neutron detection with liquid scintillators, inorganic crystals, and in the near future, pulse-shape discriminating plastics which respond over 1000 times faster (nanoseconds versus tens of microseconds) than thermal neutron detectors. Fast neutron detection offers considerable advantages, since the inherent nanosecond production time-scales of spontaneous fission and neutron-induced fission are preserved and measured instead of being lost by thermalization required for thermal neutron detectors. We are now applying fast neutron technology to the safeguards regime in the form of fast portable digital electronics as well as faster and less hazardous scintillator formulations. Faster detector response times and sensitivity to neutron momentum show promise for measuring, differentiating, and assaying samples that have modest to very high count rates, as well as mixed fission sourcesmore » like Cm and Pu. We report on measured results with our existing liquid scintillator array, and progress on the design of a nuclear material assay system that incorporates fast neutron detection, including the surprising result that fast liquid scintillator detectors become competitive and even surpass the precision of {sup 3}He-based counters measuring correlated pairs in modest (kg) samples of plutonium.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1037847
Report Number(s):
LLNL-CONF-502912
TRN: US1201705
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-48
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: Presented at: International Workshop on Fast Neutron Detectors and Applications, Ein Gedi, Israel, Nov 06 - Nov 11, 2011
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; 98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; ALGORITHMS; ARMS CONTROL; CROSS SECTIONS; DETECTION; FAST NEUTRONS; FISSION; LIQUID SCINTILLATORS; MULTIPLICITY; NEUTRON DETECTION; NEUTRONS; PHOSPHORS; PLASTICS; PLUTONIUM; SAFEGUARDS; SENSITIVITY; SPONTANEOUS FISSION; THERMAL NEUTRONS; THERMALIZATION; VERIFICATION

Citation Formats

Nakae, L, Chapline, G, Glenn, A, Kerr, P, Kim, K, Ouedraogo, S, Prasad, M, Sheets, S, Snyderman, N, Verbeke, J, and Wurtz, R. Recent Developments In Fast Neutron Detection And Multiplicity Counting With Verification With Liquid Scintillator. United States: N. p., 2011. Web.
Nakae, L, Chapline, G, Glenn, A, Kerr, P, Kim, K, Ouedraogo, S, Prasad, M, Sheets, S, Snyderman, N, Verbeke, J, & Wurtz, R. Recent Developments In Fast Neutron Detection And Multiplicity Counting With Verification With Liquid Scintillator. United States.
Nakae, L, Chapline, G, Glenn, A, Kerr, P, Kim, K, Ouedraogo, S, Prasad, M, Sheets, S, Snyderman, N, Verbeke, J, and Wurtz, R. 2011. "Recent Developments In Fast Neutron Detection And Multiplicity Counting With Verification With Liquid Scintillator". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1037847.
@article{osti_1037847,
title = {Recent Developments In Fast Neutron Detection And Multiplicity Counting With Verification With Liquid Scintillator},
author = {Nakae, L and Chapline, G and Glenn, A and Kerr, P and Kim, K and Ouedraogo, S and Prasad, M and Sheets, S and Snyderman, N and Verbeke, J and Wurtz, R},
abstractNote = {For many years at LLNL, we have been developing time-correlated neutron detection techniques and algorithms for applications such as Arms Control, Threat Detection and Nuclear Material Assay. Many of our techniques have been developed specifically for the relatively low efficiency (a few percent) attainable by detector systems limited to man-portability. Historically, we used thermal neutron detectors (mainly {sup 3}He), taking advantage of the high thermal neutron interaction cross-sections. More recently, we have been investigating the use of fast neutron detection with liquid scintillators, inorganic crystals, and in the near future, pulse-shape discriminating plastics which respond over 1000 times faster (nanoseconds versus tens of microseconds) than thermal neutron detectors. Fast neutron detection offers considerable advantages, since the inherent nanosecond production time-scales of spontaneous fission and neutron-induced fission are preserved and measured instead of being lost by thermalization required for thermal neutron detectors. We are now applying fast neutron technology to the safeguards regime in the form of fast portable digital electronics as well as faster and less hazardous scintillator formulations. Faster detector response times and sensitivity to neutron momentum show promise for measuring, differentiating, and assaying samples that have modest to very high count rates, as well as mixed fission sources like Cm and Pu. We report on measured results with our existing liquid scintillator array, and progress on the design of a nuclear material assay system that incorporates fast neutron detection, including the surprising result that fast liquid scintillator detectors become competitive and even surpass the precision of {sup 3}He-based counters measuring correlated pairs in modest (kg) samples of plutonium.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1037847}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Fri Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}

Conference:
Other availability
Please see Document Availability for additional information on obtaining the full-text document. Library patrons may search WorldCat to identify libraries that hold this conference proceeding.

Save / Share: