Development of {sup 10}B-Based {sup 3}He Replacement Neutron Detectors
- Rapiscan Laboratories, 520 Almanor Avenue, Sunnyvale CA 94085 (United States)
- Helicon Thin Film Systems, 102 Princeton Avenue, B, Half Moon Bay CA 94018 (United States)
Radiation portal monitors (RPM) are currently deployed at United States border crossings to passively inspect vehicles and persons for any emission of neutrons and/or gamma rays, which may indicate the presence of unshielded nuclear materials. The RPM module contains an organic scintillator with {sup 3}He proportional counters to detect gamma rays and thermalized neutrons, respectively. The supply of {sup 3}He is rapidly dwindling, requiring alternative detectors to provide the same function and performance. Our alternative approach is one consisting of a thinly-coated {sup 10}B flat-panel ionization chamber neutron detector that can be deployed as a direct drop-in replacement for current RPM {sup 3}He detectors. The uniqueness of our approach in providing a large-area detector is in the simplicity of construction, scalability of the unit cell detector, ease of adaptability to a variety of applications and low cost. Currently, Rapiscan Laboratories and Helicon Thin Film Systems have designed and developed an operational 100 cm{sup 2} multi-layer prototype {sup 10}BB-based ionization chamber.
- OSTI ID:
- 22003918
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1412, Issue 1; Conference: 11. international conference on applications of nuclear techniques, Crete (Greece), 12-18 Jun 2011; Other Information: (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Boron-Lined Multichamber and Conventional Neutron Proportional Counter Tests
Full Scale Coated Fiber Neutron Detector Measurements