title: Response of six neutron survey meters in mixed fields of fast and thermal neutrons.
abstract: Calibration neutron fields have been developed at KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) to study the responses of commonly used neutron survey meters in the presence of fast neutrons of energy around 10 MeV. The neutron fields were produced by using neutrons from the (241)Am-Be sources held in a graphite pile and a DT neutron generator. The spectral details and the ambient dose equivalent rates of the calibration fields were established, and the responses of six neutron survey meters were evaluated. Four single-moderator-based survey meters exhibited an under-responses ranging from ∼9 to 55 %. DINEUTRUN, commonly used in fields around nuclear reactors, exhibited an over-response by a factor of three in the thermal neutron field and an under-response of ∼85 % in the mixed fields. REM-500 (tissue-equivalent proportional counter) exhibited a response close to 1.0 in the fast neutron fields and an under-response of ∼50 % in the thermal neutron field.
authors.affiliation: Health Physics Dept., Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daeduk-daero 1045, Yuseong, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pradhan
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000576:Americium / Q000032:analysis; D001608:Beryllium / Q000032:analysis; D002138:Calibration; D004867:Equipment Design; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D009502:Neutrons; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D011874:Radiometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D056910:Republic of Korea
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D006108:Graphite; D001608:Beryllium; D000576:Americium