Development of neutron measurement system for nd∕nt fuel ratio measurement in ITER experiments

The possibility of measurement of fuel ratio from the DT/DD reaction ratio with a neutron spectrometer in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor was studied. The results of neutron transport calculations using the Monte Carlo N-particle [MCNP, a general Monte Carlo N-particle transport code, version 4C, LA-13709, edited by J. F. Briesmeister, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2000] code system indicated the possibility of DD spectrum separation from the scattered/energy-degraded neutrons derived from DT neutrons by selection of the measurement location and collimator design. A time-of-flight spectrometer was used in this study. An experiment using DD and DT neutrons from an accelerator was conducted at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency Fusion Neutronics Source facility. Using a sophisticated circuit with three discriminators for the first detector, separation of DD and DT neutron components of the spectrum in the megahertz region was confirmed experimentally.