Combined application of Berthold LB6411 and WENDI-II rem-meters for neutron area monitoring in D-T neutron generators

Neutron area monitors do not have a good adjustment of their dose response functions to the ICRP-74 neutron fluence-to-H asterisk(10) conversion function for neutron energies between 10 MeV and 20 MeV, range of energies of D-T neutron generators. Conventional area monitors, such as Berthold LB6411 or LUDLUM 30-7B, have response functions with negative slopes in this range of energies, and the best extended-range rem-meters such as the Lupin-II have an almost flat response function. This fact provokes that area monitors tend to underestimate the dose rates, the PRESCILA neutron probe is one exception, although this monitor underestimates dose rates between 2 10^-1 MeV and 2 MeV. This project aimed to establish a mathematical methodology for the combination of the response functions of two common neutron area monitors, Berthold LB6411 and WENDI-II, adjusting this combined response function to the ICRP-74 neutron fluence-to-H asterisk(10) conversion function. This new combined response function shows an almost perfect adjustment to the ICRP-74 function in the range of energies between 5 10^-1 MeV and 20 MeV. (Author)