A Diamond Detector for Monitoring Of Neutron Irradiation and Criticality

用于监测中子辐照和临界度的钻石探测器

• 批准号: ST/T003294/1
• 负责人: Thomas Scott
• 金额: $ 46.56万
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FT003294%2F1
• 关键词: Diamond; Detector; Monitoring; Neutron; Irradiation

Novel detector instrumentation systems are required to support the operation and decommissioning of our nuclear power stations, either based on fission or fusion technologies. In this project, synthetic diamond will be used as a radiation detector for the measurement of gamma and neutron radiation.This project will commercialise a well-proven detector which has been used to make measurements inside some of the most hazardous buildings in the world, where fissile and radioactive materials are present.Based on diamond technology first used in the Large Hadron Collider, this commercialisation project will take the technology from operational proof-of-principle demonstrators developed by the University of Bristol and Sellafield (and used inside reprocessing tanks) to a series of products which will be operated as a service by Cavendish Nuclear Limited.To achieve commercialisation, this project has solicited support from a wide range of industrial and academic partners in the UK, Japan and Italy. Each member of this international team brings specific expertise and facilities, from Kyoto University's nuclear research reactor, where we will demonstrate the detector's capability to measure the reactor's power output (through neutron flux measurement), to Sellafield's Highly Active Storage Tanks, in which we will demonstrate real-time high gamma dose rate measurement. Our industrial partners have requested a focus on neutron detection, an important capability they are currently struggling to achieve using existing technology. Neutron detection will be important to prevent accidental criticality and recover from any such event. Our Japanese partners have specifically requested this capability to allow them to safely remove the fuel from within the stricken nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, and it will be useful in UK facilities safely containing fissile material. A Criticality Incident Detection System (CIDS) is needed in any industrial facility holding fissile material, to mitigate risks to personnel in the event of an accidental criticality. This must detect a criticality and continue to measure afterwards in case of knock-on events. Further testing and development are still needed, but the potential for superseding existing CIDS technologies with a cheaper, more compact and robust alternative is exciting. Neutron detection alongside gamma detection would be highly desirable: on-going pulsed/continuous criticality is not measured by any current devices after an initial event; and there are a multitude of applications in gloveboxes and large facilities for a portable system.There is equally a need for rapid neutron detection in reactor core environments (fission and fusion), where the neutron flux is far more sustained and intense. Diamond is potentially very well-suited to such applications, with a proven sensitivity to thermal and fast neutrons better than that of gamma radiation. Accordingly, the aim of the current proposal is to develop a diamond detector system capable of detecting moderate-to-high neutron fluxes in real time, with the operator and detection electronics at a safe remote working distance. This will build on the software and hardware already developed for high-dose gamma measurement, increasing the value of the detection system. Such technology will be invaluable for Gen IV fission reactor concepts, including small modular reactors, as well as future fusion reactors, including JET, ITER and DEMO projects, and the UKAEA's recently announced Small Tokomak for commercial Energy Production (STEP) programme.Longer term, the measurement of neutron energies through spectroscopy will help enable fusion technologies to become realistic. Not only can we use the diamond neutron detectors being developed in this project to measure the reactor power (as above), but we will also be able to demonstrate that the operational fusion reactor is self-sufficient in tritium by breeding its own fuel!

需要新的探测器仪器系统来支持我们的核电站的运行和退役，无论是基于裂变技术还是聚变技术。在这个项目中，人造钻石将被用作辐射探测器，用于测量伽马和中子辐射。该项目将商业化一种经过充分验证的探测器，该探测器已被用于在世界上一些最危险的建筑物内进行测量，那里存在裂变和放射性材料。基于首次用于大型强子对撞机的钻石技术，这个商业化项目将把布里斯托尔大学和塞拉菲尔德大学开发的操作原理演示程序(用于后处理罐中)转化为一系列产品，作为卡文迪什核有限公司的服务。为了实现商业化，该项目得到了英国、日本和意大利广泛的工业界和学术界合作伙伴的支持。这个国际团队的每个成员都带来了特定的专业知识和设施，从京都大学的核研究反应堆，我们将在其中展示探测器测量反应堆功率输出的能力(通过中子通量测量)，到Sellafield的高度活跃的存储罐，我们将在其中演示实时高伽马剂量率测量。我们的工业伙伴要求把重点放在中子探测上，这是他们目前正在努力利用现有技术实现的一项重要能力。中子探测对于防止意外危险和从任何此类事件中恢复都将是重要的。我们的日本合作伙伴已经特别要求这种能力，使他们能够安全地从福岛第一核电站受损的核反应堆中移除燃料，这将在安全包含裂变材料的英国设施中发挥作用。在任何持有裂变材料的工业设施中都需要一个危急事故检测系统(CIDS)，以便在发生意外危急事件时减轻人员的风险。这必须检测关键程度，并在发生连锁反应事件后继续进行测量。还需要进一步的测试和开发，但用更便宜、更紧凑和更坚固的替代方案取代现有的CIDS技术的潜力是令人兴奋的。中子探测和伽马探测将是非常可取的：在初始事件后，任何当前设备都不能测量正在进行的脉冲/连续临界程度；在手套箱和便携式系统的大型设施中有许多应用。在反应堆堆芯环境(裂变和聚变)中同样需要快速中子探测，那里的中子通量要持续得多和强烈得多。钻石可能非常适合这种应用，它对热中子和快中子的敏感性已被证明比伽马辐射更好。因此，本提议的目的是开发一种钻石探测器系统，能够实时探测中到高的中子通量，操作员和探测电子设备处于安全的远程工作距离。这将建立在已经为高剂量伽马测量开发的软件和硬件的基础上，增加探测系统的价值。这种技术对于第四代裂变反应堆的概念，包括小型模块反应堆，以及未来的聚变反应堆，包括JET、ITER和演示项目，以及英国能源署最近宣布的用于商业能源生产(STEP)的小型托科马克计划，都将是非常宝贵的。从长远来看，通过光谱分析测量中子能量将有助于使聚变技术成为现实。我们不仅可以使用在这个项目中开发的钻石中子探测器来测量反应堆的功率(如上所述)，而且我们还可以证明运行中的聚变反应堆通过培育自己的燃料来实现氚的自给自足！

项目成果

Influence of electrodes' geometrical properties on the neutron production rate of a discharge fusion neutron source

• DOI: 10.1063/5.0134631
• 发表时间: 2023-03-01
• 期刊: PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
• 影响因子: 2.2
• 作者: Bakr, M.;Sakabe, T.;Konishi, S.
• 通讯作者: Konishi, S.