Modeling, Calibration, and Verification of a Fission Chamber for ACRR Experimenters^a

¹ Graduate Student Intern (North Carolina State University), Applied Nuclear Technologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
² Senior R&D Scientist/Engineer, Applied Nuclear Technologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
³ Principal R&D Scientist/Engineer, Applied Nuclear Technologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

^b Corresponding author: smluker@sandia.gov

Published online: 3 February 2016

Abstract

When performing research at a reactor facility, experimenters often need to determine the neutron fluence achieved during an operation. Facilities typically provide guidance in the form of neutron fluence per megajoule (MJ) or through passive dosimetry results. After experiment completion, there is sometimes a delay of several days (or weeks) before the passive dosimetry results are available. In the interim, an experimenter does not have confirmation that the desired irradiation levels were reached. Active dosimetry may provide an estimate of neutron fluxes, but few active detectors are available that have been calibrated to measure neutron fluxes obtained inside the Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR) central cavity environment. For past experiments at the ACRR, the neutron fluence was calculated by integrating the response of a fission chamber rate detection signal and then normalizing this integral to fluence determined from passive dosimetry. An alternative method of directly measuring neutron flux is desired; the new methodology described provides a complete neutron flux profile after a reactor pulse, utilizing fission chamber physics in combination with a compensating ion chamber to extract and convert a current signal to neutron flux as a function of time.