Development of a fast neutron radiography converter using wavelength-shifting fibers

A fluorescent converter for fast neutron radiography (FNR) comprising a scintillator and hydrogen-rich resin has been developed and applied to electronic imaging. The rate of the reaction between fast neutrons and the converter is increased by thickening the converter, but its opaqueness attenuates emitted light photons before they reach its surface. To improve the luminosity of a fluorescent converter for FNR, a novel type of converter was designed in which wavelength-shifting fibers were adopted to transport radiated light to the observation end face. The performance of the converter was compared with that of a polypropylene-based fluorescent converter in an experiment conducted at the fast-neutron-source reactor YAYOI in the University of Tokyo.     

Neutronic design and simulated performance of Peking University Neutron Imaging Facility (PKUNIFTY)

The Peking University Neutron Imaging Facility (PKUNIFTY) is a Radio Frequency Quadruple (RFQ) accelerator based system. The fast neutrons are produced by 2 MeV deuterons bombarding beryllium target. The moderator, reflector, shielding and collimator have been optimized with Monte-Carlo simulation to improve the neutron beam quality. The neutrons are thermalized in water cylinder of Φ26×26 cm² with a polyethylene disk in front of Be target. The size of deuteron beam spot is optimized considering both the thermal neutron distribution and the demand of target cooling. The shielding is a combination of 8 cm thick lead and 42 cm thick boron doped polyethylene. The thermal neutrons are extracted through a rectangular inner collimator and a divergent outer collimator. The thermal neutron beam axis is perpendicular to the D⁺ beam line in order to reduce the fast neutron and the γ ray components in the imaging beam. When the neutron yield is 3×10¹² n/s and the L/D is 50, the thermal neutron flux is 5×10⁵ n/cm²/s at the imaging plane, the Cd ratio is 1.63 and the n/γ ratio is 1.6×10¹⁰ n/cm²/Sv.     

The radiographic edge scattering distortion

Previously described scattering based edge distortions in optical density scans obtained from a neutron radiographic knife-edge image have been here confirmed using analog Monte Carlo simulation. In an attempt to estimate the effects of additional object scatter on such artifacts, the effect on the edge response of diffusely incident neutrons has been determined both empirically and by Monte Carlo simulation. The diffuse neutron incidence has been found to diminish the relative magnitude of the distortion, offering explanation for the infrequent observation of the corresponding edge scattering halo artifacts. The potential of this edge distortion as a diagnostic indicator of the buildup factor in radiography is suggested and examined.     

PKUNIFTY: A neutron imaging facility based on an RFQ accelerator

A neutron imaging facility, PKUNIFTY, based on a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator-driven compact neutron source, presently under construction at the Peking University, is described. It consists of a deuteron linear accelerator, a neutron target-moderator-reflector assembly, and a thermal neutron imaging system. Neutrons are generated via the deuteron-beryllium reaction with an expected fast-neutron yield of 3×10¹² n/s. The thermal neutron flux on the imaging plane is 5×10⁵ n/cm²/s at a nominal L/D ratio of 50, and the L/D ratio can be selectable over a range of 25-200. The corresponding n/γ ratio is close to or higher than 1×10¹⁰ n/cm²/Sv. The field of view is 20 cm×20 cm at 2 m downstream of the collimator entrance aperture where the thermal neutron flux uniformity is better than 7%. The effective Cd ratio can be tuned by using a light chopper and neutron time-of-flight technique without excessive sacrifice of the thermal neutron flux.     

In-situ neutron radiography investigations of hydrogen diffusion and absorption in zirconium alloys

The fast and non-destructive character of neutron radiography provides the possibility of in-situ investigations of hydrogen uptake and diffusion in zirconium alloys. A special reaction furnace with neutron transparent windows was constructed. The method of quantitative hydrogen determination by neutron transmission measurements was calibrated for each experimental run. Additionally, oxygen is absorbed in the α-Zr phase and precipitated in the oxide layer. The calibration of the correlation between hydrogen and oxygen concentrations and total neutron cross-sections at room temperature and between 1123 and 1623 K are described.Results of in-situ neutron radiography investigations of hydrogen diffusion and absorption are presented in this paper. A linear dependence of the total macroscopic neutron cross section on the H/Zr atomic ratio as well as on the oxygen concentration was found. No significant temperature dependence of the total neutron cross-sections of hydrogen dissolved in β-Zr or oxygen dissolved in the α-Zr or precipitated in the oxide layer was found.     

Neutron radiography study of pulsed boiling in a water-filled heat pipe

The boiling and condensation processes in a water-filled industrial heat pipe have been investigated by dynamic neutron radiography. Pulsed boiling was visualized and analysed up to a characteristic temperature depending on the filling quantity. Three typical regions were distinguished in the heat pipe: that constantly filled by the liquid; a periodically wetted zone; and a region constantly filled by the vapour. Pulsation was found to be not strictly periodic and its mean amplitude and frequency were determined. It is concluded that any models based on the equilibrium state are incorrect.     

On coherence in neutron imaging

The variety of imaging signals in neutron radiography and tomography became quite large compared to the pure absorption and scattering contrast in neutron radiographies and topographies in the early sixties or seventies of the last century. The diversity of absorption based techniques for neutron radiography and tomography is comparable to coherence based imaging techniques such as phase contrast, differential phase contrast, dark field imaging, diffraction enhanced contrast, refraction contrast, ultra small angle scattering contrast, grating interferometry and crystal interferometry, also the spin of the neutron was successfully used for imaging [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11] and [12]. We show which effects (total reflection, diffraction, refraction) contribute to e.g. a step boundary or a phase boundary. Taking this simple object, one can learn to understand the imaging procedure and what is displayed in a radiograph.     

A cargo inspection system based on pulsed fast neutron analysis (PFNA)

A cargo inspection system based on pulsed fast neutron analysis (PFNA) is to be used at a border crossing to detect explosives and contraband hidden in trucks and cargo containers. Neutrons are produced by the interaction of deuterons in a deuterium target mounted on a moveable scan arm. The collimated pulsed fast neutron beam is used to determine the location and composition of objects in a cargo container. The neutrons produce secondary gamma rays that are characteristic of the object's elemental composition. The cargo inspection system building consists of an accelerator room and an inspection tunnel. The accelerator room is shielded and houses the injector, accelerator and the neutron production gas target. The inspection tunnel is partially shielded. The truck or container to be inspected will be moved through the inspection tunnel by a conveyor system. The facility and radiation source terms considered in the shielding design are described.     

Visualization of dynamic 3-D water behavior in polymer electrolyte fuel cell by using neutron image intensifier

Visualization of dynamic three-dimensional water behavior in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) stack was carried out by neutron CT using a neutron image intensifier. The neutron radiography system at JRR-3 in Japan Atomic Energy Agency was used. An operating stack with three cells based on Japan Automobile Research Institute standard was visualized. A consecutive CT reconstruction method by rotating the fuel stack continuously was developed using a neutron image intensifier and a C-MOS high speed video camera. The dynamic water behavior in channels in the operating PEFC stack was clearly visualized in 15 s intervals by the present dynamic neutron CT system.     

Development of neutron radiography facility for boiling two-phase flow experiment in Kyoto University Research Reactor

To visualize boiling two-phase flow at high heat flux by using neutron radiography, a new neutron radiography facility was developed in the B-4 beam hole of KUR. The B-4 beam hole is equipped with a supermirror neutron guide tube with a characteristic wavelength of 1.2 Å, whose geometrical parameters of the guide tube are: 11.7 m total length and 10 mm wide ×74 mm high beam cross-section. The total neutron flux obtained from the KUR supermirror guide tube is about 5×10⁷ n/cm² s with a nominal thermal output of 5 MW of KUR, which is about 100 times what is obtainable with the conventional KUR neutron radiography facility (E-2 beam hole). In this study a new imaging device, an electric power supply (1200 A, 20 V), and a thermal hydraulic loop were installed. The neutron source, the beam tube, and the radiography rooms are described in detail and the preliminary images obtained at the developed facility are shown.     

包装物对爆炸物中子检测的影响

文章概述了目前主要的爆炸物中子检测方法,介绍了用热中子俘获γ射线法（TNA法）检测爆炸物的原理,用模拟实验装置对模拟爆炸物进行了检测,得到了被测物的俘获γ射线能谱。实验装置采用d-D中子管产生2.5MeV的快中子,再经慢化之后得到热中子,并采用多个NaI探测器提高检测效率。着重对TNA法中不同外包装物材料以及多层复合外包装物材料对探测结果的影响进行了探索研究和结果分析,发现铜外壳对γ射线的屏蔽较大程度地降低了检出率,而例如聚四氟乙烯等塑料外壳也可能造成类似的影响。     

Study of hydrogen effusion in austenitic stainless steel by time-resolved in-situ measurements using neutron radiography

The purpose of the present study was to show the feasibility of measuring hydrogen effusion in austenitic stainless steel (1.4301) using neutron radiography at the facility ANTARES of the research reactor FRM II of the Technische Universität München. This method is appropriate to measure in-situ hydrogen effusion for hydrogen concentrations as small as 20 ppm_H. Experiments were carried out in the temperature range from room temperature up to 533 K. The measurement principle is based on the parallel comparison of electrochemically hydrogen charged specimen with hydrogen-free reference specimen at the same temperature. This allows the determination of the hydrogen concentration in the specimens as a function of time and temperature. Separate hot carrier gas extraction experiments using the same temperature-time profiles as the radiography experiments have been used to calibrate the grey values of the neutron transmission images into hydrogen concentrations. It can be stated that the hydrogen effusion correlates with the specimen temperature.     

The latest progress of thermal neutron tomography at SPRR 300 reactor

Thermal neutron radiography is a useful complementary tool of the other non-destructive testing methods for the hydrogenous materials and heavy metal subassembly. By the use of MCNP program and the thermal neutron digital radiography facility at SPRR-300 reactor, the simulation and experimental study of the thermal neutron tomography has been developed. Its method and result has been introduced and analyzed.     

LiF crystals as high spatial resolution neutron imaging detectors

Neutron imaging by color center formation in LiF crystals was applied to a sensitivity indicator (SI) as a standard samples for neutron radiography. The SI was exposed to a 5 mm pinhole-collimated thermal neutron beam with an LiF crystal and a neutron imaging plate (NIP) for 120 min in the JRR-3M thermal neutron radiography facility. The image in the LiF crystal was read out using a laser confocal microscope. All gaps were clearly observed in images for both the LiF crystal and the NIP. The experimental results showed that LiF crystals have excellent characteristics as neutron imaging detectors in areas such as high spatial resolution.     

LENS: A New Pulsed Neutron Source for Research and Education

A new pulsed neutron source is under construction at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF). Neutrons are produced via (p,n) reactions by a low-energy proton beam incident on a thin beryllium target. The source is tightly coupled to a cold methane moderator held at a temperature of 20 K or below. The resulting time-averaged cold neutron flux is expected to be comparable to that of the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) facility at Argonne National Laboratory. The initial experimental suite will include instrumentation for small angle neutron scattering (SANS), moderator studies, radiography, and zero-field spin-echo SANS.     

Shielding evaluation of a medical linear accelerator vault in preparation for installing a high-dose rate 252Cf remote afterloader

In support of the effort to begin high-dose rate 252Cf brachytherapy treatments at Tufts-New England Medical Center, the shielding capabilities of a clinical accelerator vault against the neutron and photon emissions from a 1.124 mg 252Cf source were examined. Outside the clinical accelerator vault, the fast neutron dose equivalent rate was below the lower limit of detection of a CR-39 etched track detector and below 0.14 +/- 0.02 muSv h(-1) with a proportional counter, which is consistent, within the uncertainties, with natural background. The photon dose equivalent rate was also measured to be below background levels (0.1 muSv h(-1)) using an ionisation chamber and an optically stimulated luminescence dosemeter. A Monte Carlo simulation of neutron transport through the accelerator vault was performed to validate measured values and determine the thermal-energy to low-energy neutron component. Monte Carlo results showed that the dose equivalent rate from fast neutrons was reduced by a factor of 100,000 after attenuation through the vault wall, and the thermal-energy neutron dose equivalent rate would be an additional factor of 1000 below that of the fast neutrons. Based on these findings, the shielding installed in this facility is sufficient for the use of at least 5.0 mg of 252Cf.     

PINO—a tool for simulating neutron spectra resulting from the Li(p,n) reaction

The ⁷Li(p,n) reaction in combination with a 3.7 MV Van de Graaff accelerator was routinely used at FZK to perform activation as well as time-of-flight measurements with neutrons in the keV-region. Planned new setups with much higher proton currents like SARAF and FRANZ and the availability of liquid-lithium target technology will trigger a renaissance of this method. A detailed understanding of the neutron spectrum is not only important during the planning phase of an experiment, but also for the analysis of activation experiments. Therefore, the Monte-Carlo based program PINO (Protons In Neutrons Out) was developed, which allows the simulation of neutron spectra considering the geometry of the setup and the proton-energy distribution.     

Large area microchannel plate detector with amorphous silicon pixel array readout for fast neutron radiography

Fast neutron radiography is a non-destructive testing technique with a variety of industrial applications and the capability for element sensitive imaging for contraband and explosives detection.

Commonly used position sensitive detectors for fast neutron radiography are based on charge coupled devices (CCDs) and scintillators. The limited format of CCDs implies that complex optical systems involving lenses and mirrors are required to indirectly image areas that are larger than 8.6 cm×11.05 cm. The use of optics reduces the light collection efficiency of the imaging system, while the efficiency of hydrogen rich scintillators exploiting the proton recoil reaction is limited by the hydrogen concentration and the magnitude of the neutron scattering cross-section.

The light conversion step inevitably involves a tradeoff in scintillator thickness between light yield and spatial resolution.

The development of large area amorphous silicon (a-Si) panel flat panel photodiode arrays and direct neutron-to-charge converters based on microchannel plates, provide an attractive new form of high resolution, large area, fast neutron imaging detector for the non-destructive imaging of large structures. This paper describes some recent results of both Monte Carlo simulations and measurements for such a detector.     

Energy selective neutron imaging in solid state materials science

In neutron radiography and tomography, the image contrast is caused by a variation of the effective macroscopic cross-section over the sample volume. Narrowing the energy band of the polychromatic neutron beam in the cold energy range increases the image contrast significantly and opens an access to the crystallographic structure of the sample. Here, we show that crystallographic microstructures of welded stainless steel samples can be visualized and quantified in two and three dimensions by the energy selective neutron imaging. The energy selective neutron radiography maps preferred crystallite orientations over the sample and provides energy values of the highest image contrast. Furthermore, a high contrast neutron tomography visualizes preferred crystallite orientations over the whole macroscopic sample volume.     

The experimental determination of the neutron cross section for selected solvents

An experiment was conducted in order to determine the macroscopic neutron cross section of various solvents useful in neutron radiographic inspection. These solvents are used to dissolve the salts of high cross-section elements in order to formulate a fluid of maximal neutron cross section. The resulting fluid could then be used as a contrast enhancing agent in neutron radiographic inspection. This experiment was planned using statistical experimental design techniques. The results of this experiment provided a quantitative measure of the mean and standard deviation of the macroscopic neutron cross section for the nine fluids investigated. A control fluid was found to be in close agreement with published values.