COMPARISON BETWEEN PADC AND FNTD NEUTRON DETECTOR SYSTEMS IN BLIND TESTS

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Detection and Measurement

Background:

• Neutron dosimetry is critical for radiation protection.
• Polyallyl diglycol carbonate (PADC) detectors are established for neutron dosimetry.
• Al2O3:C,Mg fluorescence nuclear track detectors (FNTD) offer a novel approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the performance of PADC detectors with a new Al2O3:C,Mg FNTD system.
• To evaluate the feasibility of FNTD technology for neutron dosimetry applications.
• To identify areas for improvement in FNTD calibration and analysis.

Main Methods:

• Intercomparison of PADC and FNTD systems using 252Cf and 241Am-Be neutron sources.
• Irradiations performed on a PMMA phantom at various angles and doses (0.3-7 mSv).
• Comparison of dose measurements, considering calibration factors and statistical uncertainties.

Main Results:

• Good agreement observed between PADC and FNTD systems, with average and maximum differences of 1.5% and 22% for doses >1 mSv.
• An incorrect calibration factor for FNTD resulted in dose overestimation (~×2) at 0.9 mSv due to low statistics.
• Demonstrated feasibility of FNTD technology, highlighting the need for algorithm refinement.

Conclusions:

• The Al2O3:C,Mg FNTD system shows promise as a neutron dosimetry tool.
• Further development of the FNTD track analysis algorithm is necessary for optimal performance.
• The study validates FNTD technology while identifying specific areas for future research and improvement.