Experimental evaluation of a boron-lined parallel plate proportional counter for use in nuclear safeguards coincidence counting

Boron-lined proportional technologies are increasingly being considered as a viable option for the near-term replacement of 3He-based technologies for use in international nuclear safeguards neutron detection and coincidence counting applications. In order to determine the applicability and feasibility of any replacement technology for international safeguards, it must be evaluated against performance parameters specific to nuclear safeguards applications. In this paper, we present an experimental evaluation of a boron-lined parallel plate proportional counter developed by Precision Data Technology, Inc. (PDT). The counter performance was evaluated using a high-rate 252Cf spontaneous fission neutron source and a set of 137Cs gamma-ray sources with a dose rate of 450 mR/h at the detector face. The performance data were subsequently compared with an equivalent 3He-based system defined using the Monte Carlo N-particle eXtended (MCNPX) radiation transport code.