Babcock's proprietary neutron counting electronics is a proven
and reliable neutron signal collection and data processing
technology deployed on Babcock's own instruments and suitable for
replacing obsolete or alternative neutron counting electronics
systems.
The Babcock neutron counting technology allows each neutron
detection made by the system to be assigned a unique address
indicating which detector recorded the event and also a precise
time of detection, using Babcock's 'Timestamper' card. The acquired
data is treated as a set of neutron multiplicity frequency
histograms which may be processed within the system software to
perform either total neutron counting, coincidence counting or
multiplicity analysis.
Babcock's state-of-the art neutron counting technology has
numerous advantages over other neutron counting systems:
- Improved reliability.
- Simpler and lower cost system design.
- Improved accuracy and sensitivity.
- Scalability.
- Easier maintenance and diagnostics.
- The wealth of information which is recorded by the hardware
allows for greater flexibility in the data analysis
algorithms.
The neutron counting technology can be deployed on any system
which requires the high speed processing of neutron generated
pulses from detectors. Systems already deploying the technology
range from a waste assay system with twelve detectors to a large
distributed system with one hundred and forty detectors throughout
a plant. The system provides benefits for large distributed neutron
systems providing a high noise immunity system with a simple
cabling topology. It also improves the measurement performance for
specialist instruments such as a neutron multiplicity or
coincidence counting systems by providing a low dead-time,
multi-group, counting platform.