Fast neutron radiographic performance of a small bismuth-loaded PVT array

• Published in: Journal of radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry Vol. 331; no. 10; pp. 4347 - 4359
• Main Authors: Decker, Andrew W., Cherepy, Nerine J., Hok, Saphon, Hausladen, Paul A., Delzer, Cordell J., Hayward, Jason P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.10.2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Arrays; Bismuth; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Comparative analysis; Diagnostic Radiology; Fast neutrons; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Inorganic Chemistry; Nuclear Chemistry; Nuclear energy; Nuclear Physics; Nuclear safety; Physical Chemistry; Portability; Scintillation counters; Toluene; Neutron radiography; Bismuth; Dual-particle imaging; High-Z loading; Plastic scintillator; MCNP6.2
• ISSN: 0236-5731; 1588-2780
• DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08469-w

Some novel plastic scintillators offer substantial improvements for low-cost, portable, and durable dual-particle imaging (DPI) systems supporting nuclear safety, security, and safeguards purposes. In this work, a 21% bismuth-loaded polyvinyl toluene (BiPVT) was computationally and experimentally evaluated as a small, pixelated radiographic array and compared to same-sized arrays made from EJ-200 and EJ-256 in a 14.1 MeV neutron environment. Measurements were recorded using a digital radiographic panel, and computational models leveraged MCNP6.2 and OpticStudio software. The experimental results demonstrate the evaluated BiPVT outperforms EJ-256; however, this particular BiPVT array did not match the performance of EJ-200 in the fast neutron environment. Nevertheless, these findings, combined with those of previously published studies, suggest that portable DPI systems utilizing BiPVT may offer superior performance over more traditional material alternatives.