Absolute calibration of neutron counters on the Compact Helical System

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Abstract
A calibration experiment of the neutron counters of the Compact Helical System (CHS) has been carried out in order to determine the calibration factor which relates the neutron‐counter output to the extended neutron source of a torus plasma. The instruments employed in the present experiment include a BF3 proportional counter, a 3He proportional counter, an NE213 organic liquid scintillator. The BF3 counter was installed at the center of the CHS torus and the other two detectors were installed outside the torus. A total of 64 toroidal angles along the magnetic axis of plasma were surveyed by the movement of a 252Cf neutron source. The poloidal cross section of the CHS plasma is elliptical in shape and rotates toroidally with the same period as that of the helical coil. The spatial distribution of 25 local point efficiencies in three poloidal cross sections with elongated orientations of 0°, 45°, and 90° were investigated in order to determine the influence of the plasma profile on the calibration factor. The shadow and scattering effects were clearly observed by the center counter when the source was located behind the helical coil. The calibration factor for the BF3 counter, obtained by averaging the point efficiencies over all the toroidal angles, was 3.6×10−4 counts per neutron, about several ten times greater than those of the counters located outside the torus. Details of the calibration setup and the analysis of experimental results are presented.

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