Monte Carlo simulations to study fast neutron real-time personal diamond and silicon dosemeters: Sensitivity calculations and background transparency analysis
Abstract
Different Monte Carlo codes have been used to study diamond detectors in real-time personal fast neutron dosimetry. Some specific ones include a digital counting processing with an acceptance cut-off set on the detector pulse-height to achieve low dose measurements necessary in personal safety controls. This method is also used to avoid several background contaminations, as, for instance, that of gamma-ray signals in mixed neutron-gamma fields, or that induced by neutrons spallation reactions on the carbon atoms. It is also proposed to extract responses from different neutron energy spectra around power plants or in fusion experiments. Diamond detection efficiencies are calculated for parallel and dispersed mono-energetic neutron beam irradiation between 100 keV and 16 MeV. The interest of many detection channels against response accuracy and background removal is discussed for gamma-ray filters, neutron converters, pulse-height acceptances and sensor properties. In the range from 0.75 to 7 MeV, diamond and silicon based monitors of similar interaction volumes but with different acceptance cut-offs show comparable sensitivities near 2.5 microsievert per pulse with less than 25% maximum response dispersions.
- Publication:
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Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A
- Pub Date:
- September 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.nima.2007.05.221
- Bibcode:
- 2007NIMPA.580..526J