Development of a Geant4 application to characterise a prototype neutron detector based on three orthogonal ³He tubes inside an HDPE sphere

Authors

Vanja Gracanin, University of WollongongFollow
Susanna Guatelli, University of WollongongFollow
Dale A. Prokopovich, University of WollongongFollow
Anatoly B. Rosenfeld, University of WollongongFollow
A Berry, ANSTO

RIS ID

111559

Publication Details

Gracanin, V., Guatelli, S., Prokopovich, D., Rosenfeld, A. B. & Berry, A. (2017). Development of a Geant4 application to characterise a prototype neutron detector based on three orthogonal ³He tubes inside an HDPE sphere. Physica Medica: an international journal devoted to the applications of physics to medicine and biology, 33 189-196.

Abstract

The Bonner Sphere Spectrometer (BSS) system is a well-established technique for neutron dosimetry that involves detection of thermal neutrons within a range of hydrogenous moderators. BSS detectors are often used to perform neutron field surveys in order to determine the ambient dose equivalent H*(10) and estimate health risk to personnel. There is a potential limitation of existing neutron survey techniques, since some detectors do not consider the direction of the neutron field, which can result in overly conservative estimates of dose in neutron fields. This paper shows the development of a Geant4 simulation application to characterise a prototype neutron detector based on three orthogonal ³He tubes inside a single HDPE sphere built at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). The Geant4 simulation has been validated with respect to experimental measurements performed with an Am-Be source.