Thin gap chamber neutron detectors

摘要

The present specification describes systems and methods for the simultaneous detection of radioactive materials such as neutrons, muons and gamma rays based on thin gap chamber technology. A thin-gap chamber (TGC) is disclosed having a thermal neutron absorber material, such as 10B4C or 10B8C, which interacts with neutrons to emit heavy particles. The heavy particles, in turn, interact with the gas present in chamber to produce ionization that is converted into a measurable signal. The TGC is embedded in a neutron moderating medium. The detector systems are fabricated from commercially available construction materials and are easy to manufacture at a reasonable cost when compared to conventional He-3 neutron detector systems.

主权项

1. A system for simultaneous detection of scattered muons, to detect a presence of high-Z materials, and neutrons emitted from radioactive materials concealed in a cargo comprising:
at least two thin gap chambers placed above the cargo and at least two thin gap chambers placed below the cargo wherein each of said thin gap chambers contains a gaseous substance and comprises an array of wires that is configured to be an anode and at least one layer of thermal neutron absorber material is configured to be a cathode; a moderator material positioned proximate each thin gap chamber to decrease a speed of incoming fast neutrons; and a controller to detect and process signals, generated in said array of wires, representative of neutron and muon radiation intensity.