Development of a ZnS/10B2 O3 ceramic scintillator neutron detector for safeguards NDA systems

Year
2013
Author(s)
Michio Seya - Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Hironobu Nakamura - Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Akira Ohzu - Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Misao Takase - Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Kentaro Toh - Japan Atomic Energy Agency
M. Kureta - Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)
T. Nakamura - J-PARC Center, JAEA
H. Suzuki - Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Abstract
BSTRACT We have developed a neutron detector using a ZnS/10B2 O3 ceramic scintillator for nuclear safeguards applications. The detector has a simple structure in which the ZnS/10B2 O3 ceramic scintillator is implemented in a light-reflecting case that has two PMTs connected at either end. The scintillator was originally developed for the two-dimensional neutron detector in the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex. No organic binder material is used in the scintillator, which makes it suitable for long-term gamma-ray irradiation, and it was fabricated on a glass substrate to increase the light collection efficiency for this application. A dedicated multichannel analog-to-digital converter and signal processing hardware were produced to reject events induced by gamma-ray and tube noise. This paper describes the status of the detector development.