Ultra-low to Moderate Radiation Level Neutron Dosimetry Measurements with H*10-TMFD vs. ROSPEC, Eberline, and Ludlum...

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics and Dosimetry
• Radiation Detection and Measurement

Background:

• Neutron dosimetry (H*10) is complex due to significant variations in neutron energy spectra and wide-ranging dose rates.
• Accurate measurement is critical in environments from cosmic levels to nuclear reactor operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel spectroscopy-enabled sensor system (H*-TMFD) for spectrum-weighted neutron dosimetry.
• To compare the H*-TMFD's performance against state-of-the-art spectroscopic and non-spectroscopic neutron dosimetry systems.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of H*-TMFD with ROSPEC, Eberline ASP2E, and Ludlum 42-49B instruments.
• Validation of gamma blindness using a 137Cs source.
• Testing across a range of neutron radiation fields, from high intensity 252Cf sources to ultra-low intensity fields.

Main Results:

• H*-TMFD demonstrated excellent agreement (within 10%) with ROSPEC measurements in moderately high fields (~170 μSv h-1).
• In ultra-low fields (~0.01 μSv h-1), H*-TMFD provided accurate spectroscopic measurements (~0.4 μSv h-1) in under 2 hours, compared to days for ROSPEC.
• The system showed gamma blindness and validated predictions against established models and published data.

Conclusions:

• The H*-TMFD system is a feasible and effective tool for neutron dosimetry, providing accurate spectrum-weighted H*10 dose rates.
• It significantly reduces measurement time, especially in challenging low-dose rate environments.
• The sensor system offers a promising advancement for neutron radiation monitoring.