Use of CR-39 solid state nuclear track detector in neutron personnel monitoring

Neutron sources like ²⁴¹Am–Be, ²³⁹Pu–Be, ²⁵²Cf and 14.6 MeV neutron generator are being used in oil exploration industries as well as in research institutions. While handling these neutron sources, personnel may be exposed to neutrons. Also personnel working in reactors, accelerators may receive dose from neutrons. These exposed individuals need to be monitored regularly for measurement of neutron doses. The individual neutron doses can be estimated by using Kodak NTA films and CR-39 Solid State Nuclear Track Detector with a polyethylene radiator to increase sensitivity in front in holder. Nearly 1450 personnel are being monitored regularly throughout the country on a quarterly basis. In India, the monitoring system adopted for individual neutron dose estimation having energy from 100 keV and above is described in this paper. Background counts of 0.20 mSv could be measured with CR-39 SSNTD foil system and it has been successfully introduced for Fast Neutron Personnel Monitoring for the country.     

Performance of CR-39 with addition of DOP (dioctylphthalate) for fast neutron dosimetry

The ENEA fast neutron dosemeter is based on a planar poly allyl diglicol carbonate (PADC) placed in a polyethylene holder. The present paper reports the results of an experimental study of a CR-39^® material with the addition of 0.1% of dioctylphthalate (DOP) produced by the Italian company Intercast Europe S.p.A.

The etching procedure is: pre-etching with 40% KOH water solution 6.25 N and 60% ethyl alcohol at 70°C followed by 12 h of etching in 6.25 N KOH water solution. For the energy dependence of response, dosemeters have been irradiated with neutron sources (²⁴¹Am–Be, ²⁵²Cf, Pu–Li) and 14.9 MeV monoenergetic neutrons. The dosimetric performance of the material for fast neutrons is expressed in terms of sensitivity, background value, lowest detectable dose and energy dependence of response. Moreover, the results of a quality acceptance test of the material, performed on 11 sheets (980×980 mm², 1.4 mm thick) of the same production batch, are given. Therefore, the homogeneity of the neutron sensitivity and of the background signal within a sheet and the whole batch is considered. The results are compared with the acceptance test outcome for a CR39 standard material batch.     

Development of a reader for the routine analysis of CR-39 fast neutron dosemeters: improvement of the dosimetric performance using automatic vision and motion tools

At the personal dosimetry service of the ENEA Radiation Protection Institute, a fast neutron dosemeter based on chemically etched CR-39 (Poly Allyl Diglycol Carbonate) is operating since more than 20 years. Since then the track counting has been performed with a system consisting of a microscope, a video camera and an image analyser. A new automatic analysis system has been developed, based on automatic motion and vision tools and the programming language Labview 6, from National Instruments. The system selects the correct number of reading fields on the basis of a preliminary scan of the dosemeter, therefore operating motion and vision procedures in order to perform the analysis. For each reading field the system collects the track area distribution to which a previously optimised algorithm is applied, in order to correct the energy dependence of the response. For each dosemeter, a record containing the barcode and all data necessary for assessing the personal dose equivalent is stored in a routine file. Taking advantage of automatic vision and motion, a CR-39 reader with innovative features in terms of reproducibility, velocity and accuracy is now available even for the routine purposes of dosimetric services.     

Neutron response calculation on the basis of variable track etch rates along the secondary particle trajectories in CR-39

The calculation of the response of CR-39 detectors exposed to neutrons is of high importance for their dosimetric application. A computer code system has been developed for this purpose. Whereas the generation of secondary charged particles is carried out using non-analogue Monte-Carlo techniques with variance reduction the simulation of the track formation process is treated without any free parameter starting from the etch rate ratio V(REL) only. Results are given for the contribution of recoil protons to the response as a function of the neutron energy and angle of incidence. Furthermore, the influence of an external radiator has been studied. The comparison of the calculated values with experimental data confirm the reliability of the track etch model applied.     

Optimization of CR-39 for fast neutron dosimetry applications

We present the results of an experimental work aimed at improving the performances of the CR-39^® (Registered Trademark of PPG Industries Inc.) nuclear track detector for neutron dosimetry applications. The work was done in collaboration with the Intercast Europe S.p.A., producer of CR-39 for commercial and scientific applications. We compare the CR-39 made with different additives concentrations and different polymerization processes. We evaluate the response of the CR-39 to fast neutrons from three sources: ²⁴¹Am---Be, ²⁵²Cf and ²³⁸Pu---Li. Particular attention was paid to background fluctuations that limit the lower detectable dose.     

Operational and dosimetric characteristics of etched-track neutron detectors in routine neutron radiation protection dosimetry

There are a number of etched-track neutron dosimetry systems in routine use for personal monitoring. In this paper, the operational and dosimetric characteristics of these systems are summarized. Brief details are given of the dosemeter design, the material used, its quality control procedures, background, processing and read methods, neutron energy range, energy and angle dependence of response, decision threshold, linearity, signal storage stability, calibration methods including normalization, effect of influence quantities, and the advantages and disadvantages of the systems in routine application.     

A CR-39 based thermal neutron dosimeter

Both chemically and electrochemically etched CR-39 detectors are used for the detection of fast neutrons. In practical situations, fast neutrons are always accompanied by thermal neutrons. Therefore, the response of the CR-39 based dosimeter has to be extended to thermal neutrons. To do so, a radiator/converter like LiF is introduced in front of the CR-39 detector and an optimum thickness of the LiF film is determined so that a response similar to that of the fast neutrons is achieved. Thin films of natural LiF were prepared and the response of the CR-39 detector was studied as a function of the film thickness.     

Techniques to investigate the characteristic of CR-39 detectors using Am---Be neutron source

Two techniques have been developed to investigate the characteristic of the sensitivity of CR-39 (polyallyldiglycol carbonate) track detector using Am---Be neutron source. The firstis to measure volume track density created by fast neutrons in CR-39 detectors. The second is to measure areal asymptotic track density on the surface of CR-39 sheets. Two types of CR-39—SY-2 CR-39 made in China and another made in USA were calibrated using the techniques. It shows that the two types of CR-39 detectors have nearly the same sensitivity to detect fast neutrons. The techniques developed in this work can be applied to calibration of other track detectors.     

Response of electrochemically etched CR-39 detectors to protons

The neutron response of electrochemically etched (ECE) CR-39 detectors is determined by the energy and angular dependence of the response to neutron-induced charged particles. This response has been measured for the example of protons with various initial energies and angles of incidence. Besides, some studies were made for modeling the mechanism of ECE of the proton trajectories with the aim of deriving the critical angle of incidence.     

Improvement of neutron detection efficiency with high sensitive CR-39 track detector

Two subjects have been studied for establishing an efficient detection technique applicable to neutrons with an energy higher than 20 MeV, for which personnel dosimetry becomes more important especially in space activities and radiation protection around high-energy accelerators.

A performance of a new sensitive detector, recently developed copolymer of CR-39 and N-isopropylacrylamide, was checked in a D–T neutron field. It was confirmed experimentally that its sensitivity was several times as high as a pure CR-39 in the radiator effect and more than twice in the total efficiency. In the other experiment, CR-39 samples were exposed to 65 MeV quasi-monoenergetic neutrons, and the registration characteristics have been investigated from a fundamental point of view. The particles recorded were divided into three groups of proton relatives, -particles and heavy ions by applying the growth curve method and the multi-step etching technique. The measured fractions were in good agreement with the values calculated by SSNERS code previously developed.     

Structure effect in response function of CR-39 detector

The structure effect of CR-39 on the rate of its hydrolysing reaction was studied. It has been indicated that the sensitivity of any plastic detector is dependent on the its posibility to alkalai hydrolyse. It is known that polyesters and polycarbonates undergo decarboxylation under ionizing radiation so that would point to the carbonate group as the amplify induced radiation sensitive link. The structure effect would be one of the keys to develope the new, more sensitive nuclear track detectors.     

Effects of stirring on the bulk etch rate of CR-39 detector

It is well established that the bulk etch rates for solid state nuclear track detectors are affected by the concentration and the temperature of the etchant. Recently, we found that the bulk etch rate for the LR 115 detector to be affected by stirring during etching. In the present work, the effects of stirring on the bulk etch rate of the CR-39 detector is investigated. One set of sample was etched under continuous stirring by a magnetic stirrer at 70°C in a 6.25 N NaOH solution, while the other set of samples was etched without the magnetic stirrer. After etching, the bulk etch thickness was measured using Form Talysurf PGI (Taylor Hobson, Leicester, England). It was found that magnetic stirring did not affect the bulk etch of the CR-39 detector, which was in contrast to the results for the LR 115 detector.     

Comparison of SEM and optical analyses of DT neutron tracks in CR-39 detectors

A solid state nuclear track detector, CR-39, was exposed to DT neutrons. After etching, the resultant tracks were analyzed using both an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In this communication, both methods of analyzing DT neutron tracks are discussed.     

Post-irradiation sensitization of CR-39 track detector in carbon dioxide atmosphere

The effect of post-irradiation treatment of CR-39 track detector in carbon dioxide atmosphere on the alpha particle registration sensitivity was investigated. Significant increase in etch rate ratio for 6.1 MeV ²⁵²Cf alpha particle was observed. The sensitization increasedboth as a function of trating time and as a function of carbon dioxide pressure in the treating vessel. Energy dependence of the sensitization was found to be small in the 2–9 MeV alpha particle energy interval. Fading of latent tracks after the sensitization process was slow in a one day period. Pre-irradiation treatment in carbon dioxide showed also some sensitization, though to a lesser extent than post-irradiation treatment. However, exposing CR-39 alpha particles in pure carbon dioxide atmosphere resulted in dramatic decrease in sensitivity. The role of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide in the primary latent track formation and in post-irradiation latent track transformation is discussed. Potential influence of the application of sensitization of CR-39 in radon, neutron and cosmic ray charged particle dosimetry is also discussed.     

Counting recoil proton tracks on PADC without a pre-etching step. A novel approach for neutron dosimeter application

At many laboratories involving in routine, individual neutron dosimetry, poly allyl diglycol carbonate (PADC) is utilized for particle registration. A pre-etching step is commonly applied in order to remove the alpha tracks of the environmental radon, so achieving the required lower limit of detection (LLD) performance. A novel approach is presented, which makes this pre-etching step unnecessary, but ensuring an excellent LLD performance, also providing a good throughput for a routine service. Exposing the PADC material to carbon dioxide atmosphere before the main etching step enhances the visibility of the microscopic track image. The enhancement is so efficient that the track size and image contrast between the alpha and the proton tracks are well distinctive. Customized image analyzer software is able to distinguish alpha and proton tracks, so providing the proton track density separately. A pilot study about the performance and potentials of this novel approach is presented. A complete application working with this approach was introduced to routine neutron dosimeter service 2 years ago and its good performance has been verified.     

Low energy alpha particle spectroscopy using CR-39 detector

The possibility of using CR-39 to measure the depth profile of ¹⁰B in Si is analysed. The measuring technique exploits the ¹⁰B(n, )⁷Li nuclear reaction. For this reason the track parameters (size, optical properties) of low energy alpha-particles (<1.47 MeV) were studied. The results showed that an energy resolution of about 100 keV could be obtained by an appropriate selection of etching conditions. The profile of ¹⁰B in Si at a depth as small as 1 μm can be measured.     

用20—1020 keV单能质子刻度CR-39固体核径迹探测器

用北京师范大学2×1.7MV串列加速器和400 kV高压倍加器产生的20—1020 keV单能质子束对CR-39固体核径迹探测器进行了刻度.为了保证质子的单能性和固体核径迹探测器上径迹密度不能超过10⁶/cm²的要求,对两台加速器分别采用了不同方法控制质子辐照数量.在串列加速器上采用了狭缝加转盘的方法,在高压倍加器上采用了100 ns单次高压脉冲扫描束流的方法,既保持了质子的单色性,又达到了质子注量小于10⁶/cm²的 关键词： 单能质子 固体核径迹探测器 CR-39     

Measuring depths of sub-micron tracks in a CR-39 detector from replicas using Atomic Force Microscopy

One of the challenging tasks in the application of solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) is the measurement of the depth of the tracks, in particular, the shallow ones resulting from short etching periods. In the present work, a method is proposed to prepare replicas of tracks from particles in the CR-39 SSNTDs and to measure their heights using atomic force microscopy (AFM). After irradiation, the detectors were etched in a 6.25 N aqueous solution of NaOH maintained at 70 °C. The etched detectors were immersed into a beaker of the replicating fluid, which was placed in a water bath under ultrasonic vibration and maintained at room temperature to facilitate the filling of the etched tracks with the replicating fluid. As an example of application, these results have been used to derive a V function for the CR-39 detectors used in the present study (for the specified etching conditions).     

Empirical parameterization of CR-39 longitudinal track depth

In this work, new empirical equation describing the charged particles radiation track development against etching time and track longitudinal depth are presented. The equation involves four free fitting parameters. It is shown that this equation can reproduce tracks depth formed on the CR-39 by alpha particles at different energies and etching times. Parameters values obtained from experimental data can be used to predict etched track lengths at different energies and etching times. The empirical equation suggested is self consistent as far as reproducing all features of track depth development as a function of etching time and energy are concerned.     

Calibration study on the triton response of CR-39 track detector

Triton response of the CR-39 track detector has been studied at energy ranges below 2.7 MeV. Triton irradiation was made both on the top and the well polished side surface of the CR-39 sample sheets, using ⁶Li(n,t)⁴He reaction in a thermal neutron field. At large residual ranges more than 10 μm, fine results of etch rate ratio were obtained by analysing the growth curves of etch-pit radius on the top surface. But the response at near the track end-point could not be obtained well in this method, as a result of the missing track effect. Clearly resolved response at short residual ranges was attained by means of the shape analysis of the etch-pit profile observed on the side surface.