High-pressure ⁴He drift tubes for fissile material detection

Authors

Zhehui Wang, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Christopher L. Morris, Los Alamos National Laboratory
F. E. Gray, Regis University
J. D. Bacon, Los Alamos National Laboratory
M. I. Brockwell, Los Alamos National Laboratory
D. Y. Chang, Los Alamos National Laboratory
K. Chung, Los Alamos National Laboratory
W. G. Dai, Los Alamos National Laboratory
S. J. Greene, Los Alamos National Laboratory
G. E. Hogan, Los Alamos National Laboratory
P. W. Lisowski, Los Alamos National Laboratory
M. F. Makela, Los Alamos National Laboratory
F. G. Mariam, Los Alamos National Laboratory
P. L. McGaughey, Los Alamos National Laboratory
M. Mendenhall, California Institute of Technology
E. C. Milner, Los Alamos National Laboratory
H. Miyadera, Los Alamos National Laboratory
M. M. Murray, Los Alamos National Laboratory
J. O. Perry, Los Alamos National Laboratory
J. D. Roybal, Los Alamos National Laboratory
A. Saunders, Los Alamos National Laboratory
R. J. Spaulding, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Z. You, University of California, Irvine

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2013

Abstract

A detector efficiency model based on energy extraction from neutrons is described and used to compare 4He detectors with liquid scintillators (EJ301/NE-213). Detector efficiency can be divided into three regimes: single neutron scattering, multiple neutron scattering, and a transition regime in-between. For an average fission neutron of 2 MeV, the amount of 4He needed would be about 1/4 of the amount of the mass of EJ301/NE-213 in the single-scattering regime. For about 50% neutron energy extraction (1 MeV out of 2 MeV), the two types of detectors (4He in the transition regime, EJ301 still in the single-scattering regime) have comparable mass, but 4He detectors can be much larger depending on the number density. A six-tube 11-bar-pressure 4He detector prototype is built and tested. Individual electrical pulses from the detector are recorded using a 12-bit digitizer. Differences in pulse rise time and amplitudes, due to different energy loss of neutrons and gamma rays, are used for neutron/gamma separation. Several energy spectra are also obtained and analyzed. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recommended Citation

Wang, Zhehui; Morris, Christopher L.; Gray, F. E.; Bacon, J. D.; Brockwell, M. I.; Chang, D. Y.; Chung, K.; Dai, W. G.; Greene, S. J.; Hogan, G. E.; Lisowski, P. W.; Makela, M. F.; Mariam, F. G.; McGaughey, P. L.; Mendenhall, M.; Milner, E. C.; Miyadera, H.; Murray, M. M.; Perry, J. O.; Roybal, J. D.; Saunders, A.; Spaulding, R. J.; and You, Z., "High-pressure ⁴He drift tubes for fissile material detection" (2013). Regis University Faculty Publications (comprehensive list). 744.
https://epublications.regis.edu/facultypubs/744