Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC

Los Alamos National Security, LLC

British Nuclear Fuels Plc

Triad National Security, LLC

Natl Tech & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Matthew Newell

David Jones

John T Caldwell

Samuel A Salazar

Christopher J Romero

Eric Byron Sorensen

Sean Walston

Mark Nelson

Scott Kiff

Brian Rooney

Stephanie Ann Jones

Richard Rothrock

Neutron multiplicity detector control logic and firmware may control a neutron multiplicity detector such that higher count rates can be achieved by an order of magnitude of more over conventional control logic and firmware. Count rates of over 1,000,000 cps, and even over 1,500,000 cps, have been realized in some implementations.

Neutron multiplicity detector control circuitry and firmware

A portable multiplicity counter has signal input circuitry, processing circuitry and a user/computer interface disposed in a housing. The processing circuitry, which can comprise a microcontroller integrated circuit operably coupled to shift register circuitry implemented in a field programmable gate array, is configured to be operable via the user/computer interface to count input signal pluses receivable at said signal input circuitry and record time correlations thereof in a total counting mode, coincidence counting mode and/or a multiplicity counting mode. The user/computer interface can be for example an LCD display/keypad and/or a USB interface. The counter can include a battery pack for powering the counter and low/high voltage power supplies for biasing external detectors so that the counter can be configured as a hand-held device for counting neutron events.

Portable multiplicity counter

The invention provides a technique for correcting gamma ray intensities detected to account for variation in attenuation effects with energy. The corrected intensity values enable more accurate isotopic analysis to be conducted and render such techniques applicable to low level emission cases. The technique is particularly useful in investigate waste materials with a gamma emitting content which needs to be determined. The attenuation is corrected for using a bi-modal function to account for the attenuation effects arising from low and high atomic mass components of the material in which the emitters are present.

Analysis of materials containing radioactive sources

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Los Alamos, NM, United States of America

Matthew Newell