Abstract
Monte Carlo methods have been used to calculate neutron die-away times in a large-vehicle portal monitor. These calculations were performed to investigate the adequacy of using neutron die-away time measurements to detect the clandestine movement of shielded nuclear materials. The geometry consisted of a large tunnel lined with He/sup 3/ proportional counters. The time behavior of the (n,p) capture reaction in these counters was calculated when the tunnel contained a number of different tractor-trailer load configurations. Neutron die-away times obtained from weighted least squares fits to these data were compared. The change in neutron die-away time due to the replacement of cargo in a fully loaded truck with a spherical shell containing 240 kg of borated polyethylene was calculated to be less than 3%. This result together with the overall behavior of neutron die-away time versus mass inside the tunnel strongly suggested that measurements of this type will not provide a reliable means of detecting shielded nuclear materials in a large vehicle. 5 figures, 4 tables.
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