Production and applications of neutrons using particle accelerators

Abstract

Advances in neutron science have gone hand in hand with the development and of particle accelerators from the beginning of both fields of study. Early accelerator systems were developed simply to produce neutrons, allowing scientists to study their properties and how neutrons interact in matter, but people quickly realized that more tangible uses existed too. Today the diversity of applications for industrial accelerator-based neutron sources is high and so to is the actual number of instruments in daily use is high, and they serve important roles in the fields where they're used. This chapter presents a technical introduction to the different ways particle accelerators are used to produce neutrons, an historical overview of the early development of neutron-producing particle accelerators, a description of some current industrial accelerator systems, narratives of the fields where neutron-producing particle accelerators are used today, and comments on future trends in the industrial uses of neutron producing particle accelerators.

High yield (⩾108/pulse) DD neutron generator based on a compact, transportable and low energy plasma focus device

“…The inductance calculated using equation (3) was found to be around 63 nH. The peak current deliverable to the PF device at 25 kV charging voltage was estimated to be around 258 kA using equation (4).…”

“…Over the years, various kinds of pulsed neutron sources have been developed based on different methods e.g. the particle accelerator [4], the pulsed laser plasma accelerator [3,5], spallation [6], the inertial confinement scheme [7], the z-pinch [8][9][10][11][12] and the plasma focus (PF) device [13,14]. The PF device is a widely known pulsed intense source of neutrons [only when filled with deuterium (D 2 ) or deuterium-tritium (D-T) mixture gas], x-rays, electrons and ions, among other radiations.…”

Cements in the 21st century: Challenges, perspectives, and opportunities

“…Simultaneous X‐ray and neutron imaging has been implemented by installing a conventional tube‐based X‐ray system in the Neutron Imaging Facility at NIST . In the future, combined systems utilizing electronic neutron generators (ENG) in the beam lines of synchrotron radiation sources are expected.…”

“…The capability to perform in situ imaging is expected to be extended by the development of experimental cells in the form of microreactors using nanotechnology fabrication methods. These microreactors can be either batch operation or single‐pass flow‐through environments that would permit complete control of solution chemistry and temperature in, for example, the investigation of cement hydration kinetics . These imaging‐based methods may also be enhanced by the introduction of nanoparticles with multiple functionalities to serve as contrast agents or as tags to track chemical species of admixtures.…”

Study by Monte Carlo methods of an explosives detection system made up with a D-D neutron generator and NaI(Tl) gamma detectors

“…Of these, the two more commonly used, due to their easy ap plicability and efficiency, are the fusion reactions of light nuclei, D D or deuterium tritium (D T). The two main advantages of compact neutron generators over isotopic neutron sources [Vega Carrillo and Martinez Ovalle (2016)] are their high neutron emission intensity, and that neutron generators can be turned off at any time, thus stopping the neutron emission [Chichester (2009)] and reducing the safeguards and radiation protection requirements.…”