The design of a proton recoil telescope for 14 MeV neutron spectrometry

As part of the design effort for a 14 MeV neutron spectrometer for the Joint European Torus (JET), computer codes were developed to calculate the response of a proton recoil telescope comprising a proton radiator film mounted in front of a proton detector. The codes were used to optimise the geometrical configuration in terms of efficiency and resolution, bearing in mind the constraints imposed by the proposed application as a JET neutron diagnostic for the Deuterium-Tritium phase. A prototype instrument was built according to the optimised design, and tested with monoenergetic 14 MeV neutrons from the Harwell 500 keV Van de Graaff accelerator. The measured energy resolution and absolute efficiency were found to be in acceptable agreement with the calculations. Based on this work, a multi-radiator production version of the spectrometer has now been constructed and successfully deployed at JET.     

First experiments on neutron detection on the accelerator-based source for boron neutron capture therapy

A pilot accelerator-based source of epithermal neutrons, which is intended for wide application in clinics for boron neutron capture therapy, has been constructed at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (Novosibirsk). A stationary proton beam has been obtained and near-threshold neutron generation regime has been realized. Results of the first experiments on neutron generation using the proposed source are described.     

Utilization of X-ray spectrometry for cross section ratio measurements of 14 MeV neutron reactions

X-ray spectrometry by means of a hyperpure Ge detector has been used in the measurement by the activation technique of some cross section ratios. The method and calculations are given in detail for the following reactions ¹¹⁵In(n, 2n) ^114m.gln; ¹¹³In(n, 2n) ^112m.gln; ¹¹⁵ln(n, n′) ^115mln and ¹¹³ln(n, n′) ^113mln. The much better known gamma spectrometry has been parallelly used and the results of both methods were compared. Other cross section ratios were measured for the reactions ¹⁰⁷Ag(n, 2n) ^106m.gAg and ¹⁹⁷Au(n, 2n) ^196m.gAu.     

Design status of an intense 14 MeV neutron source for cancer therapy

Design and development of an intense 14 MeV neutron source for cancer therapy is in progress at the Institute of Nuclear Research of Lanzhou University. The neutrons from the T(d,n)⁴He reaction are produced by bombarding a rotating titanium tritide target with a 40 mA deuteron beam at 600 keV. The designed neutron yield is 8×10¹² n/s and the maximum dose rate at a 100 cm source-to-skin distance is 25 cGy/min. The HV terminal, accelerating column and HV power supply are enclosed inside a stainless steel pressure vessel containing 6 atm SF₆ gas to provide the electrical insulation.     

A 10 tesla cryomagnetic system for neutron scattering experiments

A cryomagnetic system is described in which the first main component is a cryostat providing variable temperatures and the second a superconducting coil. The cryostat enables the coil to operate at either 4.2 K or 2.16 K, and allows a sample of diameter 10 mm, height 10 mm, to be brought to temperatures varying from 1.5 K to 300 K.The magnet is an asymmetrical split coil with a vertical magnetic axis. Aluminium windows provide access vertically over 15°, horizontally over 340° to a bore of useful diameter 32 mm. The superconducting magnet is wound from multifilamentary NbTi and Nb₃Sn wires and provides a central field of 8.7 T at 4.2 K and 10 T at 2.16 K.     

Water-extended polyester neutron shield for a 252Cf neutron source

A Monte Carlo study to determine the shielding features to neutrons of water-extended polyester was carried out. During calculations, (252)Cf and shielding were modelled and the neutron spectra as well as the H(10) were calculated in four sites. The calculation was extended to include a water shielding, the source in vacuum and in air. Besides neutron shielding characteristics, the Kerma in air due to gammas emitted by (252)Cf and due to capture gamma rays in the shielding were included.     

Shielding design studies for a neutron irradiator system based on a 252Cf source.

This study aims to investigate a shielding design against neutrons and gamma rays from a source of 252Cf, using Monte Carlo simulation. The shielding materials studied were borated polyethylene, borated-lead polyethylene and stainless steel. The Monte Carlo code MCNP4B was used to design shielding for 252Cf based neutron irradiator systems. By normalising the dose equivalent rate values presented to the neutron production rate of the source, the resulting calculations are independent of the intensity of the actual 252Cf source. The results show that the total dose equivalent rates were reduced significantly by the shielding system optimisation.     

中国散裂中子源低温系统的氢安全方案设计

针对氢具有易燃、易爆的危险特性,设计了一套氢安全系统,以保障中国散裂中子源(CSNS)低温系统安全、稳定、可靠地运行.设计的氢安全系统包括配气系统、监控系统、排放系统和真空系统4部分.介绍了CSNS低温氢循环系统的原理,并根据纵深防御设计理念,详细阐述了CSNS氢安全系统的组成及设计方法.采用的多重屏障隔离措施是氢安全设计的一大特点,对今后其它系统的氢安全设计具有一定的指导意义.     

Advantages and limitations of nuclear physics experiments at an ISIS-class spallation neutron source

Nuclear physics experiments have a long history of being conducted on spallation neutron sources. Like other experiments, these measurements take advantage of the identification of the incident neutron energy by the time-of-flight (ToF) technique. However, in some ways these experiments are often in direct conflict with other experiments. Especially in large (ISIS or SNS class) facilities, the design of the source often reflects a compromise between different experimental needs and requirements. It has been a long standing question for nuclear physics experiments how limiting these compromises are and how they can be dealt with. We have therefore calculated the incident neutron energy spectrum, along with the gamma background spectrum, for flight path (FP) 5 at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center (Lujan Center) including a detailed evaluation of the signal shape. We will discuss the advantages and limitations of the nuclear physics experiments at FP-5 in the light of our results.     

Experiment and analyses for 14 MeV neutron streaming through a dogleg duct

There are several vacant channels for diagnosis, RF heating and so on through the shielding structure in fusion reactors. Some of them consist of dogleg ducts, through which neutrons stream in a complex manner. An experiment was conducted with the Fusion Neutronics Source (FNS) facility at JAERI to study the behaviour of neutrons in the duct and assess the reliability of calculation methods for the design of fusion reactors such as ITER. The assembly was an iron slab 180 cm in thickness with a doubly bent duct 30 x 30 cm2 in cross section. The experiment was analysed using a simple design code for radiation streaming, DUCT-III, and the Monte Carlo code MCNP. The results indicate that the simple design code is reliable enough to be used for shielding design analyses as well as the Monte Carlo method, which showed excellent agreement between calculated and measured values.     

A multi-function materials facility for a Spallation neutron source

A neutron beam instrument is described which will allow the simultaneous study of the microstructural, crystalline phase, internal stress, defect, local order, texture, diffusional and vibrational properties of materials. The penetration of neutrons permits all these properties to be studied in a bulk specimen in situ during a heat treatment of chemical reaction as a function of time. The possibility of using narrow incident and scattered neutron beams allows the simultaneous monitoring of these properties as a function of position across the sample. Only by using the polychromatic neutron beam from a pulsed source, can all these properties be studied at the same time and at the same point on the specimen. The instrument is designed for installation on the Spallation Neutron Source recently commissioned at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Its performance is evaluated for a series of key experiments in applied science and shown to permit a complete neutron examination of the sample within minutes.     

中国散裂中子源低温系统氦制冷系统的安装与调试

氦制冷系统是中国散裂中子源(CSNS)低温系统的重要组成部分,能够为氢循环系统提供2 200 W@20 K的冷源。介绍了CSNS氦制冷系统的组成及设备布局图及氦制冷系统的调试原理,完成了控制界面图及氦制冷系统的安装和调试准备工作,详细说明了调试的过程,获得了700 W/1 400 W/2 200 W 3种制冷功率下的状态参数。氦制冷系统调试顺利完成,结果满足了验收指标。     

Dosimetry of a nearly monoenergetic 6 to 7 MeV photon source by NaI(Tl) scintillation spectrometry

The dosimetry of a nearly-monoenergetic 6–7 MeV photon source developed at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) for radiation protection instrument calibration has been carried out by NaI(Tl) scintillation spectrometry. This approach uses calculated 3 in. × 3 in. NaI(Tl) detector-response functions that have been shown to be reasonably accurate up to 20 MeV. A least-squares fit of the appropriate response functions to a selected region of the pulse-height distribution determines the primary 6–7 MeV photon fluence. The uncertainty in the fluence determination is based on the χ² of the fit, the statistics of the data, and the uncertainty in the response functions. The air kerma delivery due to the primary photons at a reference point in the photon field was calculated from the primary photon fluence. The uncertainty in the determination of air kerma delivery for primary photons was less than 5% (1 std. dev.). The primary high-energy photon contribution to the detector response was subtracted from the data and the remaining distribution due to lower-energy photons was evaluated by spectrum unfolding analyses. The spectrum-unfolded results indicate that a contribution of approximately 12% of the total air kerma was mostly from a continuous distribution of photons extending up to 4.5 MeV.     

Measurement of neutron fluence spectra up to 150 MeV using a stacked scintillator neutron spectrometer

A stacked scintillator neutron spectrometer (S3N) consisting of three slabs of liquid organic scintillator is described. A pulsed beam providing a broad spectrum of neutron energies is used to determine the detection efficiency of the spectrometer as a function of incident neutron energy and to measure the pulse height response matrix of the system. Neutron spectra can then be determined for beams with any kind of time structure by unfolding pulse height spectra measured by the S3N. Examples of fluence spectrum measurements in the energy range 20-150 MeV are presented.     

Feasibility study of a He-magnetometer for neutron electric dipole moment experiments

We report on a ³He-magnetometer capable of detecting tiny magnetic field fluctuations of less than 10⁻¹⁴ T in experiments for measuring the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron. It is based on the Ramsey technique of separated oscillating fields and uses nuclear spin-polarized ³He gas which is stored in two vessels of V10 l in a sandwich-type arrangement around the storage bottle for ultra-cold neutrons (UCN). The gas is polarized by means of optical pumping in a separate, small discharge cell at pressures around 0.5 mbar and is then expanded into the actual magnetometer volume. To detect the polarization of ³He gas at the end of the storage cycle the gas is pumped out by means of an oil-diffusion pump and compressed again into the discharge cell where optical detection of nuclear polarization is used.     

14 MeV neutron irradiation effects on cryostability of a composite superconductor for a fusion reactor

The neutron irradiation effects on cryostability of composite superconductors for fusion reactors are studied based on Maddock's condition. In particular, to estimate the effects of 14 MeV neutrons we assumed that the irradiation-induced degradation of critical temperature, critical current density and conductivity of stabilizer are determined by the damage energy depending on the neutron energy spectrum. The cryostability is found to decrease sensitively with increasing the fraction α of fusion neutrons with energy of 10 ～ 14 MeV to the total neutrons, ie, the Cu/superconductor ratio R_ns, to stabilize the conductor, must be increased remarkably with increasing α as well as the total dose of the neutron fluence. For the small R_ns (～4) the stabilized overall current density decreases by several ten percents even at the fluence when T_c and J_c change by only a few percent. This effect is dominated by the severe increase of ρ.     

CHELSI: a portable neutron spectrometer for the 20-800 MeV region

CHELSI is a CsI-based portable spectrometer being developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for use in high-energy neutron fields. Based on the inherent pulse shape discrimination properties of CsI(Tl), the instrument flags charged particle events produced via neutron-induced spallation events. Scintillation events are processed in real time using digital signal processing and a conservative estimate of neutron dose rate is made based on the charged particle energy distribution. A more accurate dose estimate can be made by unfolding the 2D charged particle versus pulse height distribution to reveal the incident neutron spectrum from which dose is readily obtained. A prototype probe has been assembled and data collected in quasi-monoenergetic fields at The Svedberg Laboratory (TSL) in Uppsala as well as at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). Preliminary efforts at deconvoluting the shape/energy data using empirical response functions derived from time-of-flight measurements are described.     

Neutron and gamma spectra measurements and calculations in benchmark spherical iron assemblies with 252Cf neutron source in the centre

The neutron and gamma spectra measurements have been made for benchmark iron spherical assemblies with the diameter of 30, 50 and 100 cm. The ²⁵²Cf neutron sources with different emissions were placed into the centre of iron spheres. In the first stage of the project, independent laboratories took part in the leakage spectra measurements. The proton recoil method was used with stilbene crystals and hydrogen proportional counters. The working range of spectrometers for neutrons is in energy range from 0.01 to 16 MeV, and for gamma from 0.40 to 12 MeV. Some adequate calculations have been carried out. The authors propose to carefully analyse the leakage mixed neutron and gamma spectrum from iron sphere of diameter 50 cm and then adopt that field as standard.     

High-energy neutron reference fields for the calibration of detectors used in neutron spectrometry

Quasi-monoenergetic reference neutron beams in the energy range between 20 and 100 MeV have been produced and characterized with a proton recoil telescope, a scintillation spectrometer, a ²³⁸U fission chamber and a Bonner sphere spectrometer. The beams are well suited for the calibration of detectors used in neutron spectrometry. A new method is described which reduces the correction for the contribution from low-energy neutrons present in the beams.