Fast neutron radiography detector with polyethylene converter and MCP: development and performance evaluation

Abstract

We present a new position-sensitive fast neutron detector for 14 MeV fast neutron radiography, comprising a high-density polyethylene converter, a micro-channel plate (MCP), a P43 phosphor screen, a reflection mirror, and a CCD camera. Experimental tests are conducted using a DT neutron generator at CIAE, with different samples and a knife-edge measurement used to determine overall image resolution. Results show that the detector is feasible for fast neutron radiography, producing a fast neutron image with a neutron flux of ∼ 3.22 × 104 n · s-1 · cm-2 and 120 s exposure time. Our study demonstrates the potential of this detector for use in fast neutron radiography applications.