An Introduction to the Delayed Neutron and Gamma Counting System at the Royal Military College of Canada

Abstract

The Delayed Neutron (DN) Counting System at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC) has been upgraded recentlywith the additional capability to record delayed gamma (DG) emissions from special nuclear materials (SNMs). This upgrade provided the opportunity to address several experimental deficiencies present in the system, including recombination and photon pulse pile-up effects in the ³He detectors. These effects distorted the recorded temporal behaviour of DN emissions from SNM, which was detrimental when attempting to characterize fissile materials via the assessment of DN decay trends. The new capability to record both the DN and DG spectra as a function of time is described,and preliminary results are presented and discussed.