Counting neutrons emitted by special nuclear material (SNM) and differentiating them from the background neutrons of various origins is the most effective passive means of detecting SNM. Unfortunately, neutron detection, counting, and partitioning in a maritime environment are complex due to the presence of high-multiplicity spallation neutrons (commonly known as ''ship effect '') and to the complicated nature of the neutron scattering in that environment. A prototype neutron detector was built using 10B as the converter in a special form factor called ''straws'' that would address the above problems by looking into the details of multiplicity distributions of neutrons originating from a fissioning source. This paper describes the straw neutron multiplicity counter (NMC) and assesses the performance with those of a commercially available fission meter. The prototype straw neutron detector provides a large-area, efficient, lightweight, more granular (than fission meter) neutron-responsive detection surface (to facilitate imaging) to enhance the ease of application of fission meters. Presented here are the results of preliminary investigations, modeling, and engineering considerations leading to the construction of this prototype. This design is capable of multiplicity and Feynman variance measurements. This prototype may lead to a near-term solution to the crisis that has arisen from the global scarcity of 3He by offering a viable alternative to fission meters. This paper describes the work performed during a 2-year site-directed research and development (SDRD) project that incorporated straw detectors for neutron multiplicity counting. The NMC is a two-panel detector system. We used 10B (in the form of enriched boron carbide: 10B4C) for neutron detection instead of 3He. In the first year, the project worked with a panel of straw neutron detectors, investigated its characteristics, and developed a data acquisition (DAQ) system to collect neutron multiplicity information from spontaneous fission sources using a single panel consisting of 60 straws equally distributed over three rows in high-density polyethylenemoderator. In the following year, we developed the field-programmable gate array and associated DAQ software. This SDRD effort successfully produced a prototype NMC with*33% detection efficiency compared to a commercial fission meter.

Counting neutrons emitted by special nuclear material (SNM) and differentiating them from the background neutrons of various origins is the most effective passive means of detecting SNM. Unfortunately, neutron detection, counting, and partitioning in a maritime environment are complex due to the presence of high-multiplicity spallation neutrons (commonly known as "ship effect") and to the complicated nature of the neutron scattering in that environment. In this study, a prototype neutron detector was built using 10B as the converter in a special form factor called "straws" that would address the above problems by looking into the details of multiplicity distributions of neutrons originating from a fissioning source. This paper describes the straw neutron multiplicity counter (NMC) and assesses the performance with those of a commercially available fission meter. The prototype straw neutron detector provides a large-area, efficient, lightweight, more granular (than fission meter) neutron-responsive detection surface (to facilitate imaging) to enhance the ease of application of fission meters. Presented here are the results of preliminary investigations, modeling, and engineering considerations leading to the construction of this prototype. This design is capable of multiplicity and Feynman variance measurements. This prototype may lead to a near-term solution to the crisis that has arisen from the global scarcity of 3He by offering a viable alternative to fission meters. This paper describes the work performed during a 2-year site-directed research and development (SDRD) project that incorporated straw detectors for neutron multiplicity counting. The NMC is a two-panel detector system. We used 10B (in the form of enriched boron carbide: 10B4C) for neutron detection instead of 3He. In the first year, the project worked with a panel of straw neutron detectors, investigated its characteristics, and developed a data acquisition (DAQ) system to collect neutron multiplicity information from spontaneous fission sources using a single panel consisting of 60 straws equally distributed over three rows in high-density polyethylene moderator. In the following year, we developed the field-programmable gate array and associated DAQ software. Finally, this SDRD effort successfully produced a prototype NMC with ~33% detection efficiency compared to a commercial fission meter.

The heightened focus on nuclear safeguards and accountability has increased the need to develop and verify simulation tools for modeling these applications. The ability to accurately simulate safeguards techniques, such as neutron multiplicity counting, aids in the design and development of future systems. This work focuses on validating the ability of the Monte Carlo code MCNPX-PoliMi to reproduce measured neutron multiplicity results for a highly multiplicative sample. The benchmark experiment for this validation consists of a 4.5-kg sphere of plutonium metal that was moderated by various thicknesses of polyethylene. The detector system was the nPod, which contains a bank of 15 3He detectors. Simulations of the experiments were compared to the actual measurements and several sources of potential bias in the simulation were evaluated. The analysis included the effects of detector dead time, source-detector distance, density, and adjustments made to the value of [nu]-bar in the data libraries. Based on this analysis it was observed that a 1.14% decrease in the evaluated value of [nu]-bar for 239Pu in the ENDF-VII library substantially improved the accuracy of the simulation.

The pyrochemical multiplicity counter designed and built at Los Alamos has been undergoing tests and evaluation at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Measurements have been performed using a variety of plutonium oxide and metal materials. The pyrochemical multiplicity counter uses the information contained in the higher moments of the neutron multiplicity distribution to deduce the three unknowns in the assay problem: 24°Pu-effective mass, ([alpha], n) neutron rate, and self-multiplication. This is an improvement over conventional neutron coincidence counting, which must rely on some estimate of the ([alpha], n) neutron rate or self-multiplication to deduce an assay result. Such conventional techniques are generally unsatisfactory for impure materials for which these quantities are unknown. We present the assay results obtained with the pyro-chemical multiplicity counter and discuss the procedures necessary to produce good assay results. Using these procedures, we have obtained assay accuracies of 1%--2% for oxide materials in 1/2 hour measurement times. We also compare these results to those that would have been obtained using conventional neutron assay techniques and discuss the correlations we have observed between assay results and the ratio of total neutron counts in the different rings of the pyrochemical counter.

Passive neutron multiplicity counting is commonly used to quantify the total mass of plutonium in a sample, without prior knowledge of the sample geometry. However, passive neutron counting is less applicable to uranium measurements due to the low spontaneous fission rates of uranium. Active neutron multiplicity measurements are therefore used to determine the 235U mass in a sample. Unfortunately, there are still additional challenges to overcome for uranium measurements, such as the coupling of the active source and the uranium sample. Techniques, such as the coupling method, have been developed to help reduce the dependence of calibration curves for active measurements on uranium samples; although, they still require similar geometry known standards. An advanced active neutron multiplicity measurement method is being developed by Texas A & M University, in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in an attempt to overcome the calibration curve requirements. This method can be used to quantify the 235U mass in a sample containing uranium without using calibration curves. Furthermore, this method is based on existing detectors and nondestructive assay (NDA) systems, such as the LANL Epithermal Neutron Multiplicity Counter (ENMC). This method uses an inexpensive boron carbide liner to shield the uranium sample from thermal and epithermal neutrons while allowing fast neutrons to reach the sample. Due to the relatively low and constant fission and absorption energy dependent cross-sections at high neutron energies for uranium isotopes, fast neutrons can penetrate the sample without significant attenuation. Fast neutron interrogation therefore creates a homogeneous fission rate in the sample, allowing for first principle methods to be used to determine the 235U mass in the sample. This paper discusses the measurement method concept and development, including measurements and simulations performed to date, as well as the potential limitations.

Most of the 3He consumed by neutron-based safeguards assay systems is used in neutron coincidence and neutron multiplicity counting systems. Detection methods for the limited number of total neutron counting applications are not considered in this report, but it is believed that the boron-lined tubes [1, 2] already developed for portal monitoring applications will serve as a suitable replacement for those measurements. In this report, we discuss the potential replacement technologies that are most suitable for use in safeguards applications.