Journal of Radiation Protection and Research · Published 2025-04-30 · DOI 10.14407/jrpr.2025.00052
Background Nuclear material accountancy is essential for nuclear security and non-proliferation, requiring fast and accurate measurement methods. To overcome the limitations of conventional thermal neutron multiplicity counting, this study developed a fast neutron multiplicity counting (FNMC) system using organic scintillators. Materials and Methods An FNMC system was constructed using a pixelated trans-stilbene array and a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array. Performance was evaluated through Monte Carlo N-Particle Extended (MCNPX)-PoliMi simulations and experiments at 50 keVee and 100 keVee energy thresholds, analyzing detection efficiency, crosstalk, and singles (S), doubles (D), and triples (T) rates. Results and Discussion The FNMC system showed a linear relationship between S, D, and T values and mass, with mass estimation errors of 0.4% at 50 keVee and 2.2% at 100 keVee threshold. Lower energy thresholds provided higher detection efficiency and accuracy. The system effectively minimized crosstalk and pile-up errors. Conclusion The FNMC system provides a precise and reliable method for rapid nuclear material verification. It demonstrates strong potential for non-destructive analysis and nuclear safeguards applications, offering improved efficiency and accuracy compared to conventional methods.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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