Comparison of 3He and BF3 neutron detectors used to detect hydrogenous material buried in soil

Thermal neutrons detectors have been used for a long time and continue to be used to detect hydrogenous material. In this work, BF3 and He-3 detectors ability have been compared with each other to detect Polyethylene (PE) sample that was buried in soil. It was found that neither BF3 nor He-3 could detect PE sample without shields. This research shows that a thickness of 5 cm graphite is suitable shield for He-3 detector that has been used to detect buried PE sample. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.