| 1. |
- Albani, Giorgia, et al.
(författare)
-
Evolution in boron-based GEM detectors for diffraction measurements : From planar to 3D converters
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Measurement science and technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0957-0233 .- 1361-6501. ; 27:11
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The so-called '3He-crisis' has motivated the neutron detector community to undertake an intense R&D programme in order to develop technologies alternative to standard 3He tubes and suitable for neutron detection systems in future spallation sources such as the European spallation source (ESS). Boron-based GEM (gas electron multiplier) detectors are a promising '3He-free' technology for thermal neutron detection in neutron scattering experiments. In this paper the evolution of boron-based GEM detectors from planar to 3D converters with an application in diffraction measurements is presented. The use of 3D converters coupled with GEMs allows for an optimization of the detector performances. Three different detectors were used for diffraction measurements on the INES instrument at the ISIS spallation source. The performances of the GEM-detectors are compared with those of conventional 3He tubes installed on the INES instrument. The conceptual detector with the 3D converter used in this paper reached a count rate per unit area of about 25% relative to the currently installed 3He tube. Its timing resolution is similar and the signal-to-background ratio (S/B) is 2 times lower.
|
|
| 2. |
- Andersson Sundén, Erik, et al.
(författare)
-
Evaluation of neutron spectrometer techniques for ITER using synthetic data
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 701, s. 62-71
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A neutron spectrometer at ITER is expected to provide estimates of plasma parameters such as ion temperature, Ti, fuel ion ratio, nt/nd, and Qthermal/Qtot, with 10-20% precision at a time resolution, Δt, of at least 100 ms. The present paper describes a method for evaluating different neutron spectroscopy techniques based on their instrumental response functions and synthetic measurement data. We include five different neutron spectrometric techniques with realistic response functions, based on simulations and measurements where available. The techniques are magnetic proton recoil, thin-foil proton recoil, gamma discriminating organic scintillator, diamond and time-of-flight. The reference position and line of sight of a high resolution neutron spectrometer on ITER are used in the study. ITER plasma conditions are simulated for realistic operating scenarios. The ITER conditions evaluated are beam and radio frequency heated and thermal deuterium-tritium plasmas. Results are given for each technique in terms of the estimated time resolution at which the parameter determination can be made within the required precision (here 10% for Ti and the relative intensities of NB and RF emission components). It is shown that under the assumptions made, the thin-foil techniques out-perform the other spectroscopy techniques in practically all measurement situations. For thermal conditions, the range of achieved Δt in the determination of Ti varies in time scales from ms (for the magnetic and thin-foil proton recoil) to s (for gamma discriminating organic scintillator).
|
|
| 3. |
- Croci, Gabriele, et al.
(författare)
-
A high-efficiency thermal neutron detector based on thin 3D (B4C)-B-10 converters for high-rate applications
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Europhysics letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 0295-5075 .- 1286-4854. ; 123:5
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- new position-sensitive thermal neutron detector based on boron-coated converters has been developed as an alternative to today's standard He-3-based technology for application to thermal neutron scattering. The key element of the development is a novel 3D (B4C)-B-10 converter which has been ad hoc designed and realized with the aim of combining a high neutron conversion probability via the B-10(n, alpha)(7) Li reaction together with an efficient collection of the produced charged particles. The developed 3D converter is composed of thin aluminium grids made by a micro-waterjet technique and coated on both sides with a thin layer of( 10)B(4)C. When coupled to a GEM detector this converter allows reaching neutron detection efficiencies close to 50% at neutron wavelengths equal to 4 angstrom. In addition, the new detector features a spatial resolution of about 5 min and can sustain counting rates well in excess of 1 MHz/cm(2). The newly developed neutron detector will enable time-resolved measurements of different kind of samples in neutron scattering experiments at high flux spallation sources and can find a use in applications where large areas and custom geometries of thermal neutron detectors are foreseen.
|
|
| 4. |
- Croci, Gabriele, et al.
(författare)
-
I-BAND-GEM : a new way for improving BAND-GEM efficiency to thermal and cold neutrons
- 2019
-
Ingår i: The European Physical Journal Plus. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2190-5444. ; 134:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- .The BAND-GEM detector represents one of the novel thermal neutron detection devices that have been developed in order to fulfil the needs of high intensity neutron sources that, like ESS (the European Spallation Source), will start operation in the next few years. The first version of this detector featured a detection efficiency of about 40% for neutrons with a wavelength of 4 angstrom, a spatial resolution of about 6mm and a rate capability in the order of some MHz/cm(2). The novelty of this device is represented by an improved 3D converter cathode (10 cm thick) based on (B4C)-B-10-coated aluminum grids positioned in a controlled gas mixture volume put on top of a Triple GEM amplifying stage. The position where the neutron interacts in the converter depends on their energy and it was observed that the first version of the detector would suffer from an efficiency decrease for long (>5 angstrom) neutron wavelength. This paper describes how the new 3D cathode allowed improving the detection efficiency at long neutron wavelengths while keeping all the benefits of the first BAND-GEM version.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
- Gatu Johnson, Maria, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
Neutron emission from beryllium reactions in JET deuterium plasmas with 3He minority
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 50:4, s. 045005-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent fast ion studies at JET involve ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating tuned to minority He-3 in cold deuterium plasmas, with beryllium evaporation in the vessel prior to the session. During the experiments, the high-resolution neutron spectrometer TOFOR was used to study the energy spectrum of emitted neutrons. Neutrons of energies up to 10MeV, not consistent with the neutron energy spectrum expected from d(d,n)He-3 reactions, were observed. In this paper, we interpret these neutrons as a first-time observation of a Be-9(He-3, n)C-11 neutron spectrum in a tokamak plasma, a conclusion based on a consistent analysis of experimental data and Monte Carlo simulations. Be-9(a, n)C-12 and Be-9(p, n)B-9 reactions are also simulated for p and a fusion products from d(He-3, a) p reactions; these two-step processes are seen to contribute on a level of about 10% of the single-step process in Be-9(He-3, n) C-11. Contributions to the total neutron yield from the Be-9(3He, n)C-11 reaction are found to be in the range 13 +/- 3 to 57 +/- 5%. We demonstrate how TOFOR can be used to simultaneously (i) probe the deuterium distribution, providing reliable measurements of the bulk deuterium temperature, here in the range 3.2 +/- 0.4 to 6.3 +/- 1.0 keV and (ii) provide an estimate of the beryllium concentration (in the range 0.48 +/- 0.17 to 6.4 +/- 1.7% of n(e) assuming T-3He = 300 keV). The observation of Be-9 related neutrons is relevant in view of the upcoming installation of a beryllium-coated ITER-like wall on JET and for ITER itself. An important implication is possible neutron-induced activation of the ITER vessel during the low-activation phase with ICRF heating tuned to minority He-3 in hydrogen plasmas.
|
|
| 7. |
- Gatu Johnson, Maria, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
Neutron emission levels during the ITER zero activation phase
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 50:8, s. 084020-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent experiments at JET, a contribution to the neutron emission from reactions between beryllium and 3He, 4He and H has been identified. With the beryllium walled planned for ITER, this raises the question of possible neutron activation during the ITER zero activation phase. Here, we estimate the neutron emission rates for various heating scenarios foreseen for this ITER phase using Monte Carlo simulations. The emission is seen to be strongly dependent on the scenario chosen and the assumptions involved. We find that fundamental minority heating can contribute on the scale of low temperature deuterium plasmas, depending on minority concentration and ICRH power applied. Harmonic ICRH leads to production of tails that can give rise to significant neutron emission rates, while rates from hydrogen beams will be near zero. Better knowledge of the zero activation phase conditions, and more sophisticated ICRH codes, would be needed to give exact rate predictions. We conclude that rates from so-called zero activation plasmas will be significantly lower than expected for the DD or DT phases, but far from zero.
|
|
| 8. |
- Gatu Johnson, Maria, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
The TOFOR neutron spectrometer and its first use at JET
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Review of Scientific Instruments. - American Institute of Physics : AIP Publishing. - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 77:10E702, s. 1-3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A time-of-flight neutron spectrometer (TOFOR) has been developed to measure the 2.45 MeV d+d3He+n neutron emission from D plasmas. The TOFOR design features the capability to operate at high rates in the 100 kHz range, data collection with fast time digitizing and storing, and monitoring of the signals from the scintillation detectors used. This article describes the principles of the instrument and its installation at JET and presents preliminary data to illustrate the TOFOR performance as a neutron emission spectroscopy diagnostic.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Giacomelli, Luca, et al.
(författare)
-
Comparison of neutron emission spectra for D and DT plasmas with auxiliary heating
- 2005
-
Ingår i: The European Physical Journal D. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6060 .- 1434-6079. ; :33, s. 235-241
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The DT experimental campaign on JET (1997) represents a major step forward for neutronemission spectroscopy (NES) diagnostic through the high quality data collected by the Magnetic ProtonRecoil (MPR) spectrometer. These data for different DT plasma heating scenarios were analyzed here todetermine the underlying fuel ion populations which in turn were used to project the 2.5-MeV neutronemission spectra for deuterium plasmas. The results on neutron spectra for DT and D plasmas in thesame conditions were compared in order to determine the plasma information that could be expectedfrom NES diagnosis of D plasmas and the instrumental characteristics that would be required. FutureNES experiments would make dual sight line observations possible and the added diagnostic value is alsoassessed based on the present results.
|
|
