Detector shielding materials for fast neutron analysis system

Abstract

Owing to its unique advantage, neutron detection technology has attracted much attention as a method for real-time detection of various elements. However, neutron has strong penetrating ability and can react with the surrounding materials to form a lot of secondary γ-rays; as a result, insufficient detector shielding will have a significant impact on the measurement results. In this paper, a series of experiments were performed to investigate the shielding effect based on the simulation, Three kinds of heavy metals including tungsten, iron and lead, together with four kinds of hydrogen-rich materials concluding polyethylene, paraffin, water and polyethylene with boron were compare for neutron shielding. A detailed set-up of the detector shielding system was described and advantages were discussed.