Measurement of neutron attenuation through thick shields and comparison with calculation

The large neutrino experiments conducted over the last several years at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) have provided the opportunity to measure the effects of neutron attenuation in very thick shields. These experiments have featured detectors with active masses of 6 to 150 tons and shield thicknesses ranging from 3000 to 5280 g/cm2. An absolute measurement of the high-energy neutron flux was made from the beam stop in a neutrino cave at ninety degrees and nine meters from the beam stop. Differential neutron shielding measurements in iron were also performed, resulting in an attenuation length of 148 g/cm2. These measurements allow for the testing of radiation shielding codes for deep penetration problems. The measured flux and attenuation length is compared to calculations using the LAHET Code System (LCS). These codes incorporate biasing techniques, allowing for direct calculation of deep penetration shielding problems. Calculations of the neutron current and attenuation length are presented and compared with measured values. Results from the shielding codes show good agreement with the measured values