BCS detectors for neutrons

This area is for discussions involving any fusion related radiation metrology issues. Neutrons are the key signature of fusion, but other radiations are of interest to the amateur fusioneer as well.
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Rich Feldman
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Real name: Rich Feldman
Location: Santa Clara County, CA, USA

BCS detectors for neutrons

Post by Rich Feldman »

Some online reading, inspired by Kai's project, turned up reports of Boron Coated Straws.

Anybody here seen or heard of them?
The developers hope to profit in the homeland security market, among others, in this era of limited helium-3 supplies.
bcs1.JPG
bcs1.JPG (29.27 KiB) Viewed 2191 times
Very briefly, we have:
[*]Extra narrow proportional counter tube.
[*]Fill gas can be conventional, like Ar/CO2 at atmospheric pressure.
[*]The neutron sensitive boron-10 is in solid form, as carbide, in a very thin film.
[*]So after most neutron captures, one of the product particles ( 7Li and alpha ) escapes into the gas.
[*]They say the response and recovery times are outstanding, because the electron and ion drift distances are very short, and all neutron captures happen at the same distance from the anode wire.

That image is snipped from attached technical journal paper:
lacy09.pdf
(3.04 MiB) Downloaded 369 times
Here's one link to more about the gadgets: https://proportionaltech.myshopify.com/pages/technology

Looking for photographs, I found some that are reminiscent of Richard's rolling mill. It helps to know that the tubes can be made from narrow strips of boron-coated foil, wrapped in a helix like paper soda straws.
bcs_stars.png
bcs_roller.png
I don't know if the corrugated-roller model in photograph is practical. Have long wanted to make one on a much larger scale, as a bubble-wrap popper.
All models are wrong; some models are useful. -- George Box
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