A simple method for the determination of the neutron dose in a phantom

A method based on a combination of physical integration and activation threshold detectors was developed to determine the volume averaged dose equivalent rates produced by 14.1 MeV incident neutrons in a water filled phantom. To obtain the spectral fluence of neutrons in phantoms activation threshold detector measurements and a least-squares unfolding code (LSQ) were used. The physical integration was carried out by stirring the phantom solution after irradiation. The method is suitable also to determine the energy averaged conversion factor between the maximum dose equivalent and the primary fast neutron fluence measured on the surface of the phantom. The method proposed can be applied for any kind of phantom geometry. (orig.)