A NEUTRON MONITORING INSTRUMENT HAVING A RESPONSE APPROXIMATELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE DOSE RATE FROM THERMAL TO 7.0 Mev

Technical Report · Thu Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1962

OSTI ID:4805825

Hankins, D E

This report describes a neutron detection instrument that has a response approximately proportional to the dose rate of neutrons with energies from thermal to 7.0 Mev. The instrument responds to thermal neutron energies within plus or minus 4 per cent and to fast neutron energies within plus or minus 15 per cent of the actual dose rate. Readings for intermediate range neutrons result in an overestimation that may be as high as a factor of 2.5 for a 1/E scattered spectrum. This error is reduced when the thermal and fast neutron dose rate is added, and at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory the observed overestimate of the total dose rate varies up to a maximum of 65 per cent. The use of this instrument to monitor neutron fluxes of unknown energy and spectrum gives an indicated dose rate that is ordinarily much more accurate than that obtained with thermal and fast neutron monitoring instruments presently in use at Los Alamos. In circumstances where the scattered or intermediate energy neutrons contribute significantly to the total dose, this instrument is the only one known by the author which with reasonable accuracy detects and evaluates the dose rate with no assumptions or calculations required. (auth)

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., N. Mex.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• NSA Number: NSA-16-029106
• OSTI ID: 4805825
• Report Number(s): LA-2717
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ENERGY LEVELS
ENGINEERING AND EQUIPMENT
ERRORS
FAST NEUTRONS
INSTRUMENTS
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
MONITORING
NEUTRON DETECTION
NEUTRON FLUX
NEW MEXICO
SCATTERING
SPECTRA
THERMAL NEUTRONS
USA