Production of a gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillator for the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment

We report on the production and characterization of liquid scintillators for the detection of electron antineutrinos by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment. A 185 tons of gadolinium-loaded (0.1% by mass) liquid scintillator (Gd-LS) and a 200 tons of unloaded liquid scintillator (LS) were successfully produced from a linear-alkylbenzene (LAB) solvent in 6 months. The scintillator properties, the production and purification systems, and the quality assurance and control (QA/QC) procedures are described.