Abstract
Several neutron detectors have been installed on MAST to monitor the temporal production of neutrons during neutral beam injection. This paper describes the detectors, their calibration and applications of the data. The main neutron diagnostic is a guarded fission chamber, with processing electronics that allow data collection in three modes of operation, and covers the whole range of neutron production rate to be expected from current operations and future upgrades. The scalar mode of operation is calibrated with a 252Cf source inside the vacuum vessel and then MCNP modelling is used to relate this calibration to an extended plasma source. Plasma neutron data are used to extend the calibration to the Campbell and ion-current modes, with final uncertainties of approximately 8% in each case. Corroborative evidence for the accuracy of the calibration, obtained from neutron activation, indicates that the method is satisfactory. The neutron data are used routinely to keep track of the radio-activation of key components of the MAST tokamak.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 521-530 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment |
| Volume | 562 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 15 2006 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
This work was funded jointly by the United Kingdom Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and by the European Communities under the Contract of Association between EURATOM and UKAEA. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | |
| UK Atomic Energy Authority | |
| H2020 Euratom | |
| Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | EP/E034438/1 |
Keywords
- Calibration
- Diagnostics
- MAST
- Neutron
- Tokamak
