POLYETHYLENE FILTER FOR THE TNF2 THERMAL NEUTRON FACILITY

The Standard Thermal Neutron Flux Unit, TNF2, in (LNMRI/IRD)(1, 2), was built for neutron detector and survey meter calibrations. The facility's fluence is achieved by moderation of four 241Am-Be with a graphite core and paraffin/graphite blocks surrounding it. Due to the small channel dimensions, it is impossible to calibrate personal dosemeters and survey meters for thermal neutrons. A polyethylene filter construction was carried out to allow the external irradiation of personal dosemeters and neutron survey meters. The polyethylene filter was constructed with 29 stacked discs with diameters ranging from 5 to 34 cm. Different thicknesses were simulated to provide the desired effect. This new irradiation configuration was also experimentally tested and compared with simulation results with MCNPX(3).