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A 3He beam stop for minimizing gamma-ray and fast-neutron background

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Abstract

Prompt gamma-ray activation analysis facilities with high neutron currents (≥109 s−1) generate triton-induced fast neutrons from 6Li-loaded collimators and beam stops at rates that damage gamma-ray detectors. We develop an alternative beam stop design using 3He gas that produces negligible gamma-ray and fast-neutron background following neutron absorption. Replacing a 6Li glass beam stop with a test cell containing 2.5 MPa cm of 3He reduced fast neutron production by 73 %. An optimal 3He beam stop design with a 100-µm-thick entrance window, modeled using MCNP6, enables operation of detectors closer to the beam stop.

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Notes

  1. Certain commercial equipment, instruments, or materials are identified in this paper to foster understanding. Such identification does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor does it imply that the materials or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose.

  2. The neutron source is defined at the guide exit, with its divergences and spectrum obtained from guide simulations. MCNP6 tally results on a per-source-particle basis were multiplied by 1.55 × 1010 s−1, the neutron current at the guide exit (also determined by guide simulations).

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Research Facilities Operations Group staff of the NIST Center for Neutron Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Dr., Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA

    Danyal Turkoglu & R. Gregory Downing

  2. Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Dr., Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA

    Wangchun Chen, Dağıstan Şahin & Jeremy Cook

  3. Material Sciences and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20740, USA

    Wangchun Chen

Authors
  1. Danyal Turkoglu
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  2. R. Gregory Downing
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  3. Wangchun Chen
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  4. Dağıstan Şahin
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  5. Jeremy Cook
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Danyal Turkoglu.

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Turkoglu, D., Downing, R.G., Chen, W. et al. A 3He beam stop for minimizing gamma-ray and fast-neutron background. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 311, 1243–1249 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-4954-7

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