The Effect of Temperature on the Neutron Energy Thresholds of Bubble Technology Industries' Bubble Detector Spectrometer

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Abstract
The adverse effect of temperature on the response of bubble detectors has been observed by most users. This phenomenon has hindered in particular, the use of the bubble detector spectrometer (BDS) in a variety of environments where temperatures are poorly controlled. An extensive study has been conducted to quantify temperature related effects. The primary investigation evaluated the response of bubble detectors held at precisely controlled temperatures irradiated by monoenergetic neutrons produced by the 3 MeV KN Van de Graaff accelerator at the Defence Research Establishment Ottawa. A series of 393 experiments were conducted over a two week period. The results reveal that the dominant contributor to the increases in sensitivity observed at temperatures above 20 oC is the downward shift in the detectors' neutron energy thresholds. These shifts invalidate the response matrix currently recommended for deconvoluting spectral data obtained with the BDS. As specified by the supplier, the current algorithm is only valid for measurements conducted at 20 oC. This paper presents the experimental data and associated uncertainty analysis.

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