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

Title: Shifting scintillator neutron detector

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1126920
; ; ; ; ; ;

Provided are sensors and methods for detecting thermal neutrons. Provided is an apparatus having a scintillator for absorbing a neutron, the scintillator having a back side for discharging a scintillation light of a first wavelength in response to the absorbed neutron, an array of wavelength-shifting fibers proximate to the back side of the scintillator for shifting the scintillation light of the first wavelength to light of a second wavelength, the wavelength-shifting fibers being disposed in a two-dimensional pattern and defining a plurality of scattering plane pixels where the wavelength-shifting fibers overlap, a plurality of photomultiplier tubes, in coded optical communication with the wavelength-shifting fibers, for converting the light of the second wavelength to an electronic signal, and a processor for processing the electronic signal to identify one of the plurality of scattering plane pixels as indicative of a position within the scintillator where the neutron was absorbed.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
ACO5-00OR22725
Assignee:
UT-Battelle, LLC (Oak Ridge, TN)
Patent Number(s):
8,664,608
Application Number:
13/510,362
OSTI ID:
1126920
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (10)

Large area solid state nucler detector with high spatial resolution patent July 1990
Neutron coincidence detectors employing heterogeneous materials patent July 1993
Scintillator fiber optic long counter patent March 1994
Method and apparatus for a directional neutron detector which discriminates neutrons from gamma rays patent March 1999
Coincident neutron detector for providing energy and directional information patent January 2006
Neutron detection based on boron activated liquid scintillation patent October 2006
Radiation or neutron detector using fiber optics patent May 2007
Neutron detectors and related methods patent May 2008
Shifting scintillator prototype large pixel wavelength-shifting fiber detector for the POWGEN3 powder diffractometer
  • Crow, M. L.; Hodges, J. P.; Cooper, R. G.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 529, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2004.04.167
journal August 2004
Dead-time optimized time-correlated photon counting instrument with synchronized, independent timing channels journal March 2007

Similar Records

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY