Neutron spectrum measurements for radiation protection purposes
The energy spectra of low-intensity neutron sources used for calibrating personnel neutron dose-rate meters and dosimeters and for characterizing the neutron fields to which personnel are exposed were measured. Several detector-analyzer systems that will measure in the energy range 50 keV to 20 MeV at intensities from 10/sup -1/ to 10/sup 5/ n/cm/sup 2/-s are described. The systems include NE213 and stilbene organic scintillators as well as H/sub 2/, /sup 3/He, and CH/sub 4/ proportional counters. Also described are pulse-height analysis and pulse-shape discrimination systems. An unfolding code, NUTSPEC, reduces the pulse-height data to an absolute differential neutron flux phi(E) for the above detectors. The code uses a derivative unfolding method for the scintillation detectors, and for the proportional counters it calculates a response matrix and uses an iterative unfolding method to determine phi(E). The unfolded flux distribution combined with published conversion factors produces differential neutron dose-equivalent and kerma rates. Spectral segments obtained with different detectors from several measurements merge into a single differential flux spectrum over the range 50 keV to 20 MeV, together with the corresponding differential kerma and neutron dose-equivalent distributions. Also reported are spectrum measurements near /sup 252/Cf and /sup 238/PuBe sources with various moderators.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6853182
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-52415; TRN: 78-014826
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
DOSE RATEMETERS
CALIBRATION
HE-3 COUNTERS
SPECTRA UNFOLDING
LIQUID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
NEUTRON DOSIMETRY
PROPORTIONAL COUNTERS
SOLID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
NEUTRON SPECTROMETERS
DATA
DATA PROCESSING
DOSE EQUIVALENTS
ENERGY DEPENDENCE
ERRORS
KERMA
MATRICES
NEUTRON SPECTRA
RESPONSE FUNCTIONS
STILBENE
AROMATICS
DOSIMETRY
FUNCTIONS
HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NEUTRON DETECTORS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RADIATION DETECTORS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SPECTRA
SPECTROMETERS
440102* - Radiation Instrumentation- Radiation Dosemeters
440103 - Radiation Instrumentation- Nuclear Spectroscopic Instrumentation