Impact of average neutron energy on the fast neutron fluency measurement by Np237 fission to capture ratio and reverse dark current of planar silicon detector methods

¹ National Centre for Nuclear Research, 05-400 Otwock- ´ Swierk, Poland
² Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980 Dubna, Russia

^* e-mail: marcin.szuta@ncbj.gov.pl

Published online: 3 April 2019

Abstract

This work is a subsequent step to study the feasibility of fast neutron fluency measurements using two different complementary methods.

Np-237 samples and planar silicon detectors were mounted very close to each other on different sections of a subcritical assembly irradiated with the proton beam of 0,66 GeV (the Quinta assembly at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia) to provide both samples with the same neutron fluency. We have processed the experimental data of irradiated Np-237 actinide samples and silicon detectors directly placed on two sections of the QUINTA setup without a lead shield-reflector.

Applying the try and error method we have found found that the neutron energy for which the ratio of the fission cross section to the capture cross section of the actinide Np-237 from the nuclear data base is equal to the measured ratio of the fissioned and captured actinide isotopes. The retrieved distinct fission and capture cross sections for the distinct neutron energy from the nuclear data base describe the average values.

The considered above experimental and earlier obtained data have been shown that the higher is the average neutron energy the smaller is the difference of the neutron fluency measurement between the two methods. This effect has been expected since the silicon detector method efficiently measures the fast neutrons of the energy higher than about 170 keV while the actinide method covers a wider energy range.