An experimental setup for measurement of neutron energy spectra in lithium with collimated 14.7 MeV neutrons

Abstract

Neutron energy spectra in an 88 cm diameter, 88 cm long lithium tank were measured with the Ben Gurion University experimental setup. In this setup, the lithium tank is separated from the DT neutron generator by a 120 cm thick paraffin wall with a 6 cm diameter collimator through it, along the axis of the neutron generator and the lithium tank. This enables unidirectionality and monoenergeticity of the neutrons penetrating the lithium tank. A neutron energy spectrum is obtained by unfolding with the code FORIST of proton-recoil spectra measured by an NE213 liquid scintillator. The important features of the spectrometry system, comprised of the NE213 scintillator and the attached electronic system, are the high pulse shape discrimination capability of the NE213 scintillator, which enables the separation of neutron and gamma events, relatively high energy resolution, and the system linearity. Also the simultaneous measurement of the low gain and high gain proton-recoil spectra prevents a distortion of the unfolded neutron spectrum. The neutron energy spectra are absolutely normalized and internormalized to each other by an absolutely calibrated, second NE213 scintillator, placed close to the neutron generator. The measured neutron energy spectra inside the lithium tank were compared to some preliminary calculations of the spectra, carried out with the discrete-ordinates transport code DOT4.2. Both spectra are in poor agreement. These discrepancies are assigned mainly to the inadequancy of the transport calculations. Finally, the distribution of the tritium production in the lithium tank, with the same experimental configurations, was calculated with the code DOT4.2 as well. The results indicate that the collimated neutron beam configuration is inappropriate for the purpose of tritium breeding ratio measurements.