Characterization of R-134a superheated droplet detector for neutron detection

• Published in: Applied radiation and isotopes Vol. 90; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: Mondal, Prasanna Kumar, Sarkar, Rupa, Chatterjee, Barun Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2014
• Subjects: Neutron detector; Nucleation; Nucleation efficiency; R-134a; Superheated droplet detector; Two-state model; Neutron detector; Superheated droplet detector; Nucleation; R-134a; Nucleation efficiency; Two-state model
• ISSN: 0969-8043; 1872-9800
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2014.02.024

R-134a (C2H2F4) is a low cost, easily available and chlorine free refrigerant, which in its superheated state can be used as an efficient neutron detector. Due to its high solubility in water the R-134a based superheated droplet detectors (SDD) are usually very unstable unless the detector is fabricated using a suitable additive, which stabilizes the detector. The SDD is known to have superheated droplets distributed in a short-lived and in a relatively long-lived metastable states. We have studied the detector response to neutrons using a 241AmBe neutron source and obtained the temperature variation of the nucleation parameters and the interstate kinetics of these droplets using a two-state model. •We report a room temperature neutron sensitive superheated droplet detector (SDD) with R-134a as the active liquid.•Stability of the detector is highly enhanced by adding Tween 80 surfactant during detector fabrication.•Neutron response of R-134a SDD is studied using a 241AmBe neutron source.•Temperature variation of nucleation parameters of R-134a SDD is studied.