Neutron Detection

by Geoff Gardner 12:30 Friday November 18, 2005 Physics Room 331

Abstract History, theory, physics and other issues surrounding neutron detection techniques will be covered. As uncharged particles, neutrons present unique challenges to direct detection. Different systems used to detect neutrons ranging in energy from Thermal to Fast will be presented. Scintillation reactions such as ZnS(Ag) and proton recoil, as well as 3H and BF3 gas proportional counters, are all common methods used in neutron detection. We will review the Texas Nuclear Snoopy, and the Canberra Di-Neutron, commercial neutron detectors which utilize these techniques. Electronics and laboratory practices commonly used in association with neutron detection including PhotoMultiplier Tubes, Pulse Shape Discrimination, and Coincidence Counting will be touched upon. A hydrogen based scintillator and an energy threshold argument are used to calibrate the flux originating from neutron generators at the Applied Physics Laboratory; discussion of this application will conclude the presentation. Biography Geoff Gardner is currently a graduate student in the Physics Department of Purdue University. He has received a B.S. in Applied Physics with a Minor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and is expecting to receive a Masters degree in the fall of 2006. Geoff has also been involved in projects including, the nanoHUB, an online simulation cluster, and design and build of a femto-second autocorrelator. Currently he is a detector physicist and experimental engineer at the Purdue University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Neutron Detection Outline Theory Review of General properties of neutron Why is it important. Difficulty detecting neutrons Detection of Slow or Thermal Neutrons Absorption and moderation Energy lost / deposited Detection of Fast Neutrons Neutron Velocity Selectors Associated electronics used in neutron detection Actual Detectors Used in a Lab Situation Snoopy DiNeutron Scintillator

Neutron Detection
Neutrons have mass but no electrical charge. Because of this they cannot directly produce ionization in a detector, and therefore cannot be directly detected. This means that neutron detectors must rely upon a conversion process where an incident neutron interacts with a nucleus to produce a secondary charged particle. These charged particles are then directly detected and from them the presence of neutrons is deduced. The most common reaction used in neutron detection today is: n + 3He p + 3H + 765 keV 3 where both the proton and the H are detected by a gas filled proportional counters using 3He fill gas. Older style BF3 filled detectors use the equation

in which the alpha particle that is produced is detected. A typical instrument configuration that can be used with either of these detectors can be seen in Figure 1.54.

Figure 1.54 Neutron Counter Electronics

Gas proportional detectors such as these are efficient only for thermal (low energy) neutrons; for high energy neutrons their capture cross sections are very small, making it very unlikely that a neutron will interact with the fill gas and cause the necessary detection reaction. Because of this it is necessary to slow the neutrons down to a level where the probability of interaction is statistically significant. This is usually done by surrounding the detector and/or the sample being counted by a hydrogen-rich material (moderator) such as high density polyethylene. Typically 10 cm (4 in.) of polyethylene surround the detectors. The thermal neutron energy spectrum from a typical 3He neutron detector will look as shown in Figure 1.55.

Figure 1.55 Thermal Spectrum from a Moderated 3He Detector

Perhaps the most important point to note is there really isnt any neutron energy spectrum. Because all of the neutrons which are detected have been moderated to reduce their energy to the thermal level, all neutron energy information is lost. All of the events of interest fall into one peak, which is the reaction energy (765 keV). Once a discriminator has been set to eliminate the gamma interference and those events produced by interactions with the walls of the detector tube, simple gross counting is all that is required.

Neutron Coincidence Counting

One of the more common applications of neutron detection and counting is the assay of fissile materials. In particular, when the fissile material is contained in a high density matrix or a matrix which includes fission products, the interfering gammas from those fission products may very well overwhelm the weak gammas emitted from the fissile material, making neutron counting the only viable method available for performing the assay. Unfortunately, for most assay needs, you cannot simply count all of the neutrons which are detected and from that result determine the amount of fissile material that is present in the sample. The radioactive decay of fissile material produces alpha particles which, in turn, produce neutrons via an ( ,n) reaction with light elements within the sample matrix. In fact, because you are usually trying to detect just a few milligrams of fissile material in a container containing 200 liters (55 gallons) of waste, the vast majority of the neutrons that are detected will be from the ( ,n) reaction and not from the spontaneous fission of the fissile material. As Figure 1.55 shows, it is not possible to use energy discrimination to distinguish neutrons from different sources, therefore, traditional spectroscopy techniques cannot be used. However, there is a characteristic time distribution difference between ( ,n) neutrons and those neutrons produced as the result of a fission event that can be exploited. Specifically, each fission event will always produce multiple neutrons usually two and sometimes three simultaneously; ( ,n) neutrons, on the other hand, are produced individually and randomly. This allows coincidence counting techniques to be used to distinguish the prompt fission neutrons from the ( ,n) neutrons. A neutron coincidence system is shown schematically in Figure 1.56.

Figure 1.56 A Fission Neutron Pair Being Detected in a 4 Coincidence Counter

The outputs from the tubes are first processed by fast preamplifier/ amplifier/discriminator (PAD) circuits, and logically ORed to the input of the neutron coincidence analyzer for processing. The coincidence logic identifies those neutron counts that occur within a short time of each other: fission neutrons, closely spaced ( ,n) neutrons, and counts due to "accidental coincidences". Once one neutron has been detected, the probability of detecting another neutron from the same fission decreases exponentially with time according to the following equation: P(t) = exp(-t/td) where: P(t) = Probability of detecting coincidence neutrons in time ttd = die-away time

The die-away time is defined as the average time a neutron will survive before it is absorbed in the 3He tubes or escapes the counter. The neutron die-away time normally ranges from 10 to 128 s depending upon the counter geometry. The probability for detecting a random neutron is constant with time. To determine whether the neutron events which are detected are time-correlated, two equal time periods are sampled by the coincidence logic for each neutron that is detected. The first gate or counting window is opened for a time period equal to 1.267 td after a neutron is detected. Other counts within this time period are due to multiple fission neutrons from the triggering event, other fissions, and ( ,n) reactions. After a delay of approximately 1000 s, the second gate is opened and random neutron events are counted. The 1000 s delay assures no time correlation with the neutron which triggered the count. The difference in the two time-gated counts (Reals+Accidentals and Accidentals, respectively) is the net Real coincidence count. The net Real count is related to the fissile material in the sample by a calibration constant. Modern Canberra neutron analysis instruments are based on shift register counting, which eliminates dead time by opening a separate gate for each neutron.

Multiplicity Counting
Neutron coincidence counting provides two measured values (Reals and Totals) while in some cases there are three unknown variables which need to be determined: mass of 240Pueffective, alpha ratio, and multiplication factor. This condition arises, for example, when impurities in the material under analysis preclude the estimation of alpha ratio from the isotopics. In Multiplicity Counting, a third measured parameter - the distribution of multiple counts - is derived, and thus the three unknowns may be calculated.

Passive Neutron Counters

When a neutron coincidence counter is used for the assay of 238Pu, 240Pu, and 242Pu, the neutrons from the spontaneous fission of these isotopes are detected and counted. Since no external neutron source is required to induce fission, assay systems of this type are known as Passive Neutron Counters.

Active Neutron Counters

235

U, 238U, and 239Pu do not spontaneously fission at a high enough rate to allow passive assay techniques to be used. For this reason, uranium assays utilize an external neutron source to induce fission in the sample. Assay systems using this technique are known as Active Neutron Counters.