A new design of neutron survey instrument

A novel design of neutron survey instrument has been developed. The moderator has been modified via the use of "neutron guides", which help thermal neutrons reach the central proportional counter. This innovation has allowed the variations in the energy dependence of ambient dose equivalent response to be reduced compared to prior single-detector designs, whilst maintaining a relatively light moderator and simple construction. In particular, the design has a relatively small over-response to neutrons with energies around 5 keV, when compared to prior designs. The final optimized design has been verified using MCNP5 calculations to ensure that the response is relatively independent of the energy and direction of the incident neutron. This has required the ends of the guides to be structured so that unidirectional and isotropic neutron fields have closely matched responses, as is necessary in the workplace. The reading of the instrument in workplace fields is calculated via folding and the suitability of the design for use in the workplace discussed. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.