Novel and efficient B lined tubelet detector as a replacement for He neutron proportional counters

This paper presents a novel and robust proportional detector which addresses the well publicized shortage of ³He gas by using a ¹⁰B lining applied to a tubelet configuration. The advantage of the tubelet structure is that it yields a detector maintaining the form factor of a conventional ³He tube whilst achieving a sensitivity of up to 75% of a 3 atm ³He device. The design and fabrication of the tubelet detector is presented and discussed with test data comparing the new detector to existing ³He and BF₃ tubes. The application of the tubelet design to security and industrial applications including retro-fitting to existing portals and suitability for high integrity oil and gas installations is addressed.