Optimization of Moderator Size of Thermal and Epithermal Neutron Source Based on a Compact Accelerator for Neutron Imaging

A compact accelerator-driven neutron source has some advantages over a large accelerator facility in terms of accessibility and usability. Recently, the project to develop a non-destructive testing system for nuclear fuels by neutron imaging using a compact accelerator-driven neutron source has launched in Japan. In this project, the traditional neutron radiography and temperature imaging by neutron resonance absorption spectroscopy (N-RAS) have been studied. From the viewpoint of L/D, a high-brightness moderator is desirable for the neutron imaging. In this study, we investigated the dependence of moderator size on the source brightness and the pulse characteristics of the neutron by simulation calculations to design the moderator for imaging using thermal and epithermal neutrons. As a result, the optimal size of the moderator for the neutron imaging was 6∼7 cm in the energy region from 5 meV to 100 eV.