Neutron radiography in Slovenia

In the article the equipment, research and applications in the field of neutron radiography (NR) performed at the Ljubljana TRIGA Mark II research reactor of the J. Stefan Institute in the last 5 years are reviewed. The Ljubljana TRIGA NR facility is less intense neutron source, designed more for the purpose of academic research than for the industrial applications. New possibilities in research and application of thermal, resonance and fast neutron radiography in stationary as well as in a pulsed mode of reactor operation, have been enabled by the acquisition of a novel photoluminescent imaging plate (IP) system. Major recent applications of NR will be described. Current work in NR involves study of moisture transport phenomena in porous materials, development of efficient hydrophobic treatments for preservation of historic buildings, non-destructive examinations of archaeological objects and localization and determination of neutron absorbing elements in metallurgical samples. Few applications of Neutron Capture Autoradiography (NCAR) using Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTD) and IP in metallurgy and for the detection of B in histological samples for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy of Tumors (BNCT) will be described(2).