VALIDATION OF SPATIAL PROFILE MEASUREMENTS OF NEUTRON EMISSION IN TFTR PLASMAS (INVITED)

The TFTR multichannel neutron collimator provides spatially localized information on nuclear reaction rates in fusion plasmas. Absolutely calibrated NE 451 ZnS scintillators detect chord-integrated neutron emission along ten vertical sightlines, which are defined by a massive shielding structure in the facility basement. If such observations are to be of value, virgin neutrons along each sightline must be distinguishable from a background of gamma rays and scattered neutrons, and the measurements must be sufficiently precise, over a wide range of plasma conditions, to allow meaningful comparison with results of transport analysis computer codes. As a useful check, the volume-integrated neutron emission must agree with independent measurements of the global neutron source strength. Although NE 451 detectors are insensitive to gamma rays and to neutrons with energy less than approximately 2 MeV, the scintillation pulse height distribution depends on both the incident neutron energy spectrum and the physical parameters of the individual detector. In order to establish the validity of our measurements, we have carried out a detailed characterization of our detectors, including computer modeling of scintillation pulse height spectra and of temporal pulse pileup effects in the counting circuitry. Satisfactory operation of the system has been demonstrated for all deuterium plasmas encountered in TFTR. The detector modeling, together with further laboratory measurements, will enable us to re are for deuterium-tritium experiments.