An alpha particle detector based on a GPS mosaic scintillator plate for continuous air monitoring in plutonium handling facilities

作者：Kaneko Junichi H^*; Izaki Kenji; Toui Kouhei; Shimaoka Takehiro; Morishita Yuki; Tsubota Youichi; Higuchi Mikio

来源：Radiation Measurements, 2016, 93: 13-19.

DOI：10.1016/j.radmeas.2016.07.006

• Continuous air monitoring
• Plutonium handling facility
• Alpha particle detector
• Mosaic scintillator plate
• Gd2Si2O7:Ce (GPS)

An alpha particle detector was developed for continuous air monitoring of radioactive contamination in working chambers at plutonium handling facilities. A 5-cm-square Gd2Si2O7:Ce (cerium-doped gadolinium pyro-silicate, GPS:Ce) mosaic scintillator plate for alpha particle measurements was fabricated from GPS single-crystal grains of around 550 mu m diameter; the GPS grains were made of a GPS polycrystalline body grown using a top seeded solution method. The scintillator layer thickness was approximately 100 gm. The surface filling rate of the GPS grains was ca. 62%. To suppress the influence of non-uniformity of pulse heights of a photomultiplier tube, a central part of empty set 40 mm of a 76-mm diameter photomultiplier tube was used. In addition, 3 mm thick high-transmission glass was used as a substrate of the scintillator plate. The detector achieved energy resolution of 13% for 5.5 MeV alpha particles, detection efficiency of 61% and a radon progeny nuclide reduction ratio of 64.5%. A new alpha particle detector was developed to achieve a high radon progeny nuclide reduction ratio approaching that of a silicon semiconductor detector, with high resistance to electromagnetic noise and corrosion.

• 出版日期2016-10