Progress in alternative neutron detection to address the helium-3 shortage

Abstract

a b s t r a c tOne of the main uses for 3 He is in gas proportional counters for neutron detection. Such detectors are used at neutron scattering science facilities and in radiation portal monitors deployed for homeland security and non-proliferation applications. Other uses of 3 He are for research detectors, commercial instruments, well logging detectors, dilution refrigerators, lung imaging, for targets in nuclear research, and for basic research in condensed matter physics. The supply of 3 He comes entirely from the decay of tritium produced for nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Russia. Due to the large increase in use of 3 He for science and homeland security (since 2002), the supply could no longer meet the demand. This has led to the development of a number of alternative neutron detection schemes.

Investigation into the potential of GAGG:Ce as a neutron detector

“…The implication of the gadolinium thermal neutron capture cross section becomes apparent when the current status of thermal neutron detection technology is considered. The availability (and cost) of 3 He has been widely reported [13][14][15]. Alternatively, 6 Li and 10 B [16,17] are both commonly used in detection materials.…”

Developing and testing a miniature fiber-coupled scintillator for in-core neutron counting in CROCUS

“…These applications require instruments with high sensitivity and flexibility, a s w ell a s t he p ossibility t o b e p arallelized and to perform online measurements. Scintillation materials have recently come to the fore in the field of n eutron d etection [7] due to the large availability of screens of reduced size with good efficiency a nd l ow p rice, t ogether w ith t he possibility to couple them with cutting-edge light collection technologies and fast electronics. A first detection system prototype for incore applications using a scintillator/converter ZnS: 6 LiF screen was developed at Nagoya University in 1994 by Mori et al.…”

Lithium-Loaded Scintillators Coupled to a Custom-Designed Silicon Photomultiplier Array for Neutron and Gamma-Ray Detection

“…Helium-3 filled neutron detectors have been widely used in basic science research, industrial applications, and homeland security. Since the recent 3 He shortage, a great deal of effort has been dedicated to find replacement materials for neutron detection [1]. Some Li-loaded scintillators that are capable of detecting both neutrons and gamma-rays have generated considerable interest.…”