Abstract
Augmenting or interchanging current international safeguards shift register−based data acquisition systems with list mode data acquisition systems gives nondestructive assay (NDA) systems greater versatility. Neutron list mode data analysis offers comparable analytical results to the more widely used shift register analysis in nuclear material quantification applications and offers several diagnostic tools that are specifically beneficial to in-laboratory characterization and calibration measurements. These benefits include identification of non-ideal behavior, optimization of operational parameters from a single measurement, and an improved understanding of the physics-based behavior of NDA systems for a more precise system representation and more confident assay results. In this work the advantages of using list mode data acquisition for detector characterization are demonstrated experimentally. Two commercial-off-the-shelf International Atomic Energy Agency-supported technologies are used for a typical detector characterization procedure and their performance is compared. Specifically, a 3He-based Canberra Industries JCC-71 Neutron Coincidence Collar is characterized using the Hungarian Institute of Isotopes’ Pulse Train Recorder-32 (PTR-32) list mode data acquisition system, and the results are compared to those obtained using the standard Canberra Industries JSR-15 model shift register. The quantitative results from the two systems are in agreement, which demonstrates that the PTR-32 is a technically viable alternative to conventional shift register electronics for this task. A suitable procedure for full instrument characterization is described, and the added benefits of list mode for characterization and data collection are discussed. This is an important step toward establishing a procedure for the routine use of list mode data acquisition and analysis for neutron NDA system characterization in safeguards field applications.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 24-34 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment |
| Volume | 908 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 11 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2018 Elsevier B.V.
Funding
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation R&D and through the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium, United States under Award Number DE-NA0003180 . This paper was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government . Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or limited, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Energy | |
| National Nuclear Security Administration | |
| Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation | DE-NA0003180 |
Keywords
- Data acquisition system
- International safeguards
- List mode data acquisition
- Neutron coincidence collar
- Neutron coincidence counting
- Shift register