Neutron Conversion Foil, Neutron Detecting Device with Such a Foil, and Method for Operating Such a Neutron-Detecting Device
20180024256 ยท 2018-01-25
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
A neutron conversion foil for being used in a neutron detector includes a substrate having a first and second side. The substrate is covered at least on one of the first and second sides with a neutron conversion layer made of a neutron reactive material and being capable of capturing neutrons to thereafter emit light and/or charged particles. The neutron conversion foil is transparent to light such that light originating from the conversion of neutrons can pass through one or several of the neutron conversion foils and thereafter be collected and detected by a light sensing device.
Claims
1. A neutron conversion foil for being used in a neutron detector, said neutron conversion foil comprising a substrate having a first side and a second side, whereby said substrate is covered at least on one of said first side and said second side with a neutron conversion layer made of a neutron reactive material and being capable of capturing neutrons to thereafter emit light and/or charged particles, and whereby said neutron conversion foil, is transparent to light such that light originating from the conversion of neutrons can pass through one or several of said neutron conversion foils and thereafter be collected and detected by a light sensing device.
2. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 1, wherein said substrate covered on said first side and said second side with a neutron conversion layer made of a neutron reactive material and being capable of capturing neutrons to thereafter emit light and/or charged particles.
3. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 1, wherein said neutron conversion layer contains Li-6 or B-10.
4. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 3, wherein said neutron conversion layer contains LiF and a suitable binder in a weight ratio between 1:1 and 15:1, and that appropriate measures such as LiF nanosizing or refractive index matching are performed to ensure high transparency.
5. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 3, wherein said neutron conversion layer has a layer thickness of between 1 m and 40 m, especially between 3 m and 20 m.
6. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 1, wherein said substrate is a transparent PET foil.
7. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 6, wherein said transparent PET foil has a thickness of between 2 m and 19 m.
8. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said neutron conversion layers is overcoated with a wavelength shifting layer being capable of shifting short wavelength light impinging upon it and reemitting light with a wavelength to which said neutron conversion foil is transparent.
9. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 8, wherein said wavelength shifting layer contains Tetra Phenyl Butadiene (TPB), an organic wavelength shifter, or an organo silicate compound.
10. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 9, wherein said wavelength-shifting layer has a layer thickness of between 0.05 m and 1 m, especially between 0.05 m and 0.2 m.
11. The neutron conversion foil as claimed in claim 1, wherein that said substrate is a mesh.
12. A neutron detecting device comprising a scintillation volume filled with a scintillating material such as a noble gas, wherein one or more neutron conversion foils according to claim 1 are provided in said neutron detecting device to be in optical contact with said scintillating material such that charged conversion products arising from said neutron capture in said one or more neutron conversion foils escape into said scintillation volume and produce light, to which said one or more neutron conversion foils is transparent.
13. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 12, wherein, at least one light-sensing device is provided in optical contact with said scintillation volume.
14. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said at least one light sensing device is a solid state light sensor, especially one of a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) or pixelated Geiger mode avalanche photodiode.
15. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said scintillation volume is composed primarily of a noble gas such as helium, argon or xenon or a mixture of noble gases, such as helium doped with xenon.
16. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said scintillation volume is predominantly filled with helium, thereby allowing the simultaneous measurement and distinction of fast neutrons, thermal neutrons, and/or photons and electrons produced by the interaction of photons with a detector wall.
17. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said scintillation volume is predominantly filled with xenon, thereby allowing gamma spectrometry to be performed while also measuring neutrons.
18. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said scintillation volume contains predominantly PVT or a liquid scintillator, thereby allowing the simultaneous measurement of gammas and neutrons.
19. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said at least one solid state light sensor is arranged within said scintillation volume.
20. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 15, wherein an in-situ gas purification device such as a getter is immersed in the gas of said scintillation volume, thereby assuring a stable gas composition.
21. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said scintillation volume is surrounded by a highly reflective material in the area of which a plurality of light sensing devices can be interspersed.
22. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 12, wherein plural neutron conversion foils are arranged in parallel in said scintillation volume.
23. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said neutron detecting device is part of a detector system, and wherein a plurality of detector subunits are connected with a control center for evaluating detector data via a wireless network.
24. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 23, wherein said neutron detecting device part of at least one of said detector subunits.
25. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 24, wherein said neutron detecting device is connected within said detector subunit to a single board computer, which itself is connected to a network unit and comprises detector software and a data aggregation software/network protocol
26. The neutron detecting device as claimed in claim 25, wherein a GPS unit for determining the actual position of said detector subunit is connected to said single board computer.
27. A method for operating the neutron detecting device according to claim 12, wherein signals arising from a neutron conversion in said one or more neutron conversion foils are discerned from signals arising from said scintillation volume by pulse shape discrimination, whereby the signals involving light emitted by said one or more neutron conversion foils typically have a different time structure than the signals from said scintillation volume.
28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein light signals arising directly or indirectly from said neutron conversion in said one or more neutron conversion foils are discerned from signals from said scintillation volume alone by pulse shape discrimination, whereby the signals from neutron conversion have a different time structure than the signals from said scintillation volume.
29. A method for operating the neutron detecting device according to claim 12, wherein the presence, the intensity and/or the type of gamma radiation interacting with the scintillating volume is determined by analyzing the distribution of the energy spectrum of the interaction events accumulated during a predetermined period of time of operation, especially in a range from 1 to 100 seconds.
30. A method for operating the neutron detecting device according to claim 12, wherein two overlapping spectral distributions resulting from the simultaneous interaction of gamma radiation and neutron radiation with the scintillating volume and/or the converter foil and being accumulated during a predetermined period of time of operation, especially in a range from 1 to 100 seconds, are analyzed employing statistical methods, whereby a net neutron count rate can be determined by subtracting the spectral response obtained by the gamma radiation from the total spectrum.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044] The present invention is now to be explained more closely by means of different embodiments and with reference to the attached drawings.
[0045]
[0046]
[0047]
[0048]
[0049]
[0050]
[0051]
[0052]
[0053]
[0054]
[0055]
[0056]
[0057]
[0058]
[0059]
[0060]
[0061]
[0062]
[0063]
[0064]
[0065]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DIFFERENT EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0066] A key element of the present invention is an optically transparent neutron converter foil.
[0067] Transparent in this case means that the foil absorbs only a few % (preferably not more than 1%) of the visible light (especially with a wavelength around 420 nm +/30 nm).
[0068]
[0069] Substrate 11 is in this case a transparent PET foil with a thickness of between 2 m and 19 m.
[0070] Neutron converter layer 12 contains Li-6 or B-10. Preferably, it contains 95% or higher enriched .sup.6LiF and a suitable binder in a weight ratio between 1:1 and 15:1. It has a layer thickness of between 1 m and 40 m, preferably between 3 m and 20 m. The coating of substrate 11 with neutron converter layer 12 is performed in such a way that the coating is highly transparent and adheres well to substrate 11. Furthermore, appropriate measures such as nanosizing LiF crystals or refractive index matching are performed to ensure high transparency.
[0071] Thin wavelength shifting layer 13 is capable of shifting short wavelength light 15 impinging upon it and reemitting (visible) light 16 with a wavelength to which neutron conversion foil 10 is highly transparent (light 16 in
[0072] As said before, if short wavelength light 15, such as light emanating from a neighboring noble gas scintillation incident 14, falls upon wavelength shifting layer 13, it gets shifted to visible light 15. The converter membrane is highly transparent to visible light, so that light 16 may cross the foil without notable absorption.
[0073] Neutron converter foil 10 of
[0074] However, when the foil is arranged in a scintillation volume, thereby surrounded by a noble gas or other scintillation means, it is favorable to have a double-sided neutron converter foil 10 as shown in
[0075] According to another preferred embodiment shown in
[0076] An important functionality of the converter membranes or foils 10, 10 and 10 is shown for neutron converter foil 10 in
[0077]
[0078]
[0079]
[0080]
[0081]
[0082] Neutron converter membrane 47 is kept in place by a series of parallel moderating plates 46 oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal tube axis, and being assembled from two separate plate elements 46a and 46b with intertwining fingers (see
[0083]
[0084] When the foil 47 has reached its final position (
[0085] The detector 42 of
[0086]
[0087]
[0088] The ability to detect and respond to the unauthorized transportation, accidental release or terrorist release of various radioactive materials over a wide area is becoming more and more probable due to the break-up of countries having nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors. Radioisotope smuggling and black market sales of radioactive material has increased substantially in the past years.
[0089] Therefore, the neutron detecting device according to the invention is a valuable tool for being part of a detector network that enables authorities to detect actual locations and moving profiles of such radioactive material. Some proposals in this area have already been made in the past.
[0090] Document US 2014/224964 A1 discloses a system including at least one imager having a pixelated chip that is capable of relaying information regarding the interaction of the high energy particle with the pixel while simultaneously obtaining an image, a central command center with a processor for receiving and interpreting said information from the imager, and for issuing operating instructions to remotely control the imager, and means for communication between the imager and the central command center. The system may also include at least one processor that is in communication with the imager, which is able to determine that a pixel or pixels have interacted with one or more high energy particle.
[0091] Document US 2009/012745 A1 discloses a radiation detection system including many receivers to continuously receive radiation emission data from at least some of a sufficient density of dispersed detectors capable of communicating geo-positions and photon emission counts over a network; the data includes gamma intensities, time stamps, and geo-positions. A processor builds digital image data of the received radiation data for a geographic area by treating gamma-ray proton data from each dispersed detector as a pixel in a low-light image. The processor continuously executes a plurality of statistical computational analyses on the digital image data to separate detected radiation signals from random, undesired signal noise, and known signal noise or sources. The statistical computational analyses include match-filter and/or other convolution techniques.; An interface reports to a user when the computational analyses result in detection of a radiation signal and reports a location of one or more of the dispersed detectors that contribute to the detection.
[0092] Document U.S. Pat. No. 8,502,158 A shows a detection unit for detecting ionizing radiation including a crystal that interacts with incoming radiation; a processing module that analyzes the incoming radiation detected by the crystal; a positioning module that determines position of the detection unit; and a network interface module that receives and transmits time stamped radiation data and position information from/to a plurality of other detection units. The detection unit automatically identifies other detection units that are located close to form a cluster. The detection unit also includes radiation data integration logic that integrates the incoming radiation data from all detectors in cluster, the position of the detection unit, the received radiation data from other detection units and the received position information from other detection units in real time, and process it simultaneously, that allows significantly improve performance and reliability.
[0093] As shown in
[0094] The neutron detecting device 61 according to the invention may be part of at least one of said detector subunits 59. The subunits 59 may be stationary and/or mobile, i.e. mounted in a car or carried by a person. Within such detector subunit 59 neutron detecting device 61 is connected to a computer, especially a single board computer 62. Single board computer 62 is connected to a network unit 66, which is able to establish a wireless data transmission between subunit 59 and control center 68 via network 67. Single board computer 62 comprises a detector software 63, which is used to monitor detector health and is responsible for neutron counting. Single board computer 62 further comprises a data aggregation software/network protocol 64.
[0095] To determine and transmit the actual position of the detector subunit 59, a GPS unit 65 may be provided, which is connected to said single board computer 62.
[0096] With the neutron detecting device according to the invention it is possible to evaluate the presence, the intensity and/or the type of gamma radiation interacting with the scintillating volume. When accumulating the interaction events of neutrons and Gamma radiation with the scintillation volume over a certain period of time, preferably between 1 and 100 seconds, overlapping energy spectra of Gamma radiation and neutrons, and the accompanying noise are obtained as shown in
[0097] Analyzing a spectral distribution as shown in
[0098] In a first step, the Gamma/neutron count rate ratio 71 is determined and results in a certain value k. Then, k is compared to a predetermined reference value p (comparisons 72, 73). If k<, count rates R.sub.II (for Gamma radiation) and R.sub.III (for neutrons) are simply added to give the neutron count rate R.sub.n (74). If k>, a weighted term F(k)R.sub.II is subtracted from the sum R.sub.II+R.sub.III to give the neutron count rate R.sub.n (75). Thus, in this case, the net neutron count rate 75 can be determined by subtracting the spectral response 69 obtained by the gamma radiation from the total spectrum.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0099] 10,10,10 neutron converter foil (foil, membrane)
[0100] 11,11 substrate
[0101] 12,12 neutron conversion layer (e.g. coating)
[0102] 13,13 wavelength shifting layer (e.g. coating)
[0103] 14,27 scintillation (incident)
[0104] 15 scintillation light (short wavelength)
[0105] 16,16 visible light
[0106] 17 decay product
[0107] 18 neutron (incoming)
[0108] 19,23 scintillation volume (e.g. filled with noble gas)
[0109] 20,20 neutron detecting device
[0110] 21,22 reflector
[0111] 24 converter membrane
[0112] 25 substrate (transparent film)
[0113] 26 transparent LiF coating (on both sides)
[0114] 28 triton
[0115] 29 light sensing device (e.g. Silicon Photomultiplier SiPM)
[0116] 30 signal processing scheme
[0117] 31 detector
[0118] 32 analogue multi-channel front-end unit
[0119] 33 filed programmable gate array FPGA
[0120] 34 power supply
[0121] 35 microcontroller
[0122] 36 cascading scheme
[0123] 37 coincidence unit
[0124] 38,39 channel
[0125] 40 unit cell
[0126] 41 SiPM
[0127] 42 detector
[0128] 43 tube (e.g. steel)
[0129] 43a scintillation volume
[0130] 44 closure head
[0131] 45 valve
[0132] 46 moderating plate
[0133] 46a,b plate element
[0134] 47 converter membrane (double-sided)
[0135] 48 connecting cable
[0136] 49 membrane slot (meandering)
[0137] 50 detector board
[0138] 51 foil reel
[0139] 52 guide rod
[0140] 53 slot
[0141] 54,56 detector arrangement
[0142] 55,57 container
[0143] 58 connecting cable
[0144] 59 detector subunit
[0145] 60 detector system
[0146] 61 neutron detecting device
[0147] 62 computer (single board)
[0148] 63 detector software
[0149] 64 data aggregation software/network protocol
[0150] 65 GPS unit
[0151] 66 network unit
[0152] 67 network
[0153] 68 control center
[0154] 69 Gamma energy spectrum
[0155] 70 neutron energy spectrum
[0156] 71 Gamma/neutron ratio
[0157] 72,73 comparison with reference value
[0158] 74,75 neutron count rate
[0159] A reflective material (e.g. dielectric mirror)