A new monitor for routine thermal and epithermal neutron fluence rate monitoring in k0 INAA

This study presents an alternative monitoring set to measure thermal and epithermal neutron fluence rates for Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) applications in thermalized facilities. The traditional Zr–Au monitor is often impractical; thus, the effectiveness of a Cr, Au, and Mo-based monitor was evaluated. Through comparative analysis of the IRMM standard SMELS-II using this new monitor, we found that its performance in determining thermal neutron fluence rate values is comparable to the established Zr–Au method and the Cd-covered Zr-method. Notably, the results from the alternative monitoring setup yielded values for both the thermal neutron fluence rate and epithermal spectrum parameter that were statistically consistent with those derived from the traditional methods. This finding suggests that the Cr–Au–Mo set is a viable alternative for reliable neutron fluence rate monitoring in routine INAA procedures, potentially reducing the necessity for frequent recalibrations caused by changes in reactor core configurations. The implications of this research indicate improved operational efficiency in neutron activation methodologies while maintaining the accuracy of thermal and epithermal measurements.