I.N. Ruskov

Multilayer passive shielding of scintillation detectors based on BGO, NaI(Tl), and stilbene crystals operating in intense neutron fields with an energy of 14.1 MeV

We discuss the issues related to choosing the optimum type of passive shielding of scintillation detectors based on BGO, NaI(Tl), and stilbene crystals from the direct penetration of neutron radiation with an energy of 14.1 MeV that was emitted isotropically into a solid angle of 4π. A series of experimental measurements of the count-rate suppression factor that may be obtained for the indicated detectors through the use of various shielding filters comprising iron, lead, and borated polyethylene layers with a total thickness not exceeding 50 cm are conducted.

Determination of Moisture Content in Coke with 239 Pu–Be Neutron Source and BGO Scintillation Gamma Detector

A series of experiments has been conducted at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics (FLNP) of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in order to study the possibility of determining the moisture content of coke using a standard neutron source. The proposed method is based on a measurement of the spectrum of prompt γ rays emitted when samples are irradiated by fast and/or thermal neutrons. The moisture content is determined from the area of the peaks of characteristic γ rays produced in the radiative capture of thermal neutrons by the proton (Eγ = 2.223 MeV) and inelastic scattering of fast neutrons by 16O (Eγ = 6.109 MeV). The 239Pu–Be neutron source (〈E n 〉 ~ 4.5 MeV) with an intensity of ~5 × 106 n/s was used to irradiate the samples under study. A scintillation detector based on a BGO crystal was used to register the characteristic γ radiation from the inelastic fast neutron scattering and slow (thermal) neutron capture. This paper presents the results of humidity measurement in the range of 2–50% [1, 2].