Characterization of Platinum Self-Powered Detectors

Because platinum self-powered flux detectors have a mixed (neutron and gamma-ray) response in reactor radiation fields, an experimental program was undertaken to characterize these devices. This paper describes experiments performed to determine the response parameters for Pt detectors in a heavy-water moderated reactor. Absolute y-ray and neutron sensitivities were derived from these measurements for detectors with three different emitter diameters, and the results are comrpared with previously reported values.