Speaker
Description
The newly developed nuclear spectrometric system incorporates a digital multichannel analyzer, suitable radiation detectors, and advanced algorithms for the characterization of unknown fast neutron fields. Accurate knowledge of these fields is essential for the objective assessment of the metrological performance of neutron devices during calibration.
The hardware platform of the system is based on the AMD Zynq architecture, enabling real-time digital pulse processing and robust integration system. The system employs digital pulse shape discrimination (PSD) to ensure reliable neutron–gamma separation over a wide dynamic energy range.
The spectrometric system has been employed to characterize a newly developed neutron irradiator in our calibration laboratory. The irradiator is equipped with a single Cf-252 source with an emission rate of 4.98E+07 n/s. The shielding of the irradiator primarily consists of boric acid combined with boron-doped polyethylene. The source is moved into the irradiation position using an air telescopic piston.
Fast neutron spectral measurements have been performed using stilbene detectors of various sizes, including (10 × 10) mm, (25 × 25) mm, and (45 × 45) mm. The measurable neutron energy range of the system spans approximately from 50 keV to 20 MeV. Based on the measured neutron spectra, the ambient dose equivalent of neutrons has been determined. The spectral quality of the neutron source has been compared with the reference spectrum defined in ISO 8529-1.