Characterization of the neutron flux of a 4.3 Ci Am-Be irradiation site using the cadmium ratio k 0 method

In order to utilize the capabilities of the neutron activation analysis (NAA) method, a specialized irradiation unit was installed and operated at Damghan University with a 4.3 Ci Am -Be source. In this study, for the mentioned unit, using the cadmium ratio technique from k 0 standardization methods, the neutron flux parameters were determined. Gold ( 197 Au) and Indium ( 115 In) were used as monitors for the irradiations, and their activities were measured with a NaI detector. The obtained values for shape factor of the epithermal neutron spectrum ( alpha) in paraffin and water moderators are alpha = 0.0181 +/- 0.0050 and alpha = 0.0182 +/- 0.0050, respectively. The thermal to epithermal flux ratio values show that the heating rate for fast neutrons in paraffin and water moderators reached 99.1 % and 98.7 %, respectively. The measured values and their precision indicate that both moderators are suitable for use in the current configuration.