SUMMARY REPORT ON FOUR OAK RIDGE SENSORS FOR ENHANCING NUCLEAR SAFEGUARDS NEUTRON DETECTORS

Year
1997
Author(s)
J.A. Williams - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Z.W. Bell - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
J.M. Hiller - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
V.C. Miller - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
S.A. Wallace - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Abstract
The need for monitoring weapons grade plutonium in nuclear facilities world-wide has been addressed with four radiation detector technologies being developed at the Lockheed Martin operated Y-12 Plant and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This paper describes experimental results of four Oak Ridge Sensors for Enhancing Nuclear Safeguards (ORSENS) neutron detector technologies and includes the potential application, cost, and advantages for each. The four technologies include a 6LiF-ZnS(Ag) thermal neutron scintillator coupled to a wavelength-shifting optical fiber, a CdWO4 based scintillating thermal neutron detector, a rhodium silicon thermal neutron detector, and a proton-recoil fast neutron detector.