A TECHNIQUE FOR THE SELECTIVE DETECTION OF NEUTRONS IN GEOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS

We present a new, combined technique for the detection of fast and thermal neutrons in the presence of accompanying gamma radiation, for geological and radioecological applications. To separate the slow neutron pulses and fast gamma pulses of organic scintillators, we used the method of particle identiflcation by radioluminescence pulse shape. The device has been tested by the combined neutron and gamma radiation sources 252 Cf and 239 Pu-Be, and by a 14.2 MeV D-T source of fast neutrons both in the laboratory, and under real, fleld conditions as applied at selected sites of the European Union.