Nuclear Engineering 450 (NUC E 450) Radiation Detection and Measurement (3) Spring 2011 NUC E 450: Theory and laboratory applications of radiation detectors, including photon, neutron and charged particle detectors, NIM devices, and pulse-height analysis. Prerequisite: NUC E 301 or NUC E 405 ; NUC E 309 Instructor: Professor Kenan Ünlü, 101 Radiation Science and Engineering Center, 865-6351, [email protected] Office Hours: Monday 3-4 PM, Wednesday 2:00-3:00 PM or by appointment Text: Glenn F. Knoll, Radiation Detection and Measurement, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 4th edition, 2010. Radiation Detection and Measurement Laboratory Manual, K. Ünlü, et al. 2011. References: N. Tsoulfanidis, Measurement and Detection of Radiation, second edition, Taylor and Francis, 1995. Z. B. Alfassi, Chemical Analysis by Nuclear Methods, John Wiley and Sons, 1994 Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, recent ed., Chemical Rubber Company Handbook of Tables for Applied Engineering, recent ed., Chemical Rubber Company B. Shleien (ed.), Handbook of Health Physics and Radiological Health, third edition, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 1998. Upon Completion of this course, students will: A. demonstrate a knowledge of atomic and nuclear physics (1f), B. understand the principles of radiation interaction with matter (3a), C. demonstrate an understanding of the principles of radiation detection and measurement, nuclear instruments and detectors (3b), D. demonstrate an ability to conduct experiments to acquire data, and to interpret and analyze such data (3d), and E. demonstrate ability to write effectively, especially in a technical context (4a). F. demonstrate an ability to perform effectively in group projects (4d) While the primary objective of NucE 450 is instruction in radiation monitoring instrumentation and data processing, there are also some important secondary objectives of this course. They are as follows: 1. To teach the students good laboratory procedures in handling and working with radioactive materials, 2. To insure that students graduating from our program know how to prepare well-written and well-organized technical reports, 3. To introduce the students to design of experiments, and 4. To instruct the students in the keeping of legally acceptable laboratory notebooks. Grading: Grading in this course is based primarily on the timely submission of nine laboratory reports and homework/quiz: 2 full reports @ 15 points each 6 partial reports @ 5 points each Attendance at ~29 lectures Experiment design project and joint full report Laboratory Notebook Homework/Quiz TOTAL = = = = = = = 30 30 10 15 5 10 100 points points points points points points points The laboratory notebook maintained by the student will be graded at the end of the semester. A well-kept notebook contributes six points to your final numerical grade. A poorly kept notebook will reduce six points from your final grade. Thus the difference between a wellkept and a poorly kept notebook is a full letter grade. Reports are due 1 week after the completion of its laboratory, and they are to be turned in at Lab. To encourage timely report submission, 3 percentage points per class day will be deducted for late submission. This deduction becomes a major contributor to poor performance for some students. NucE 450 is a C required course for the NucE major. Homework due dates and or Quiz dates will be specified for each set or each quiz. As indicated, attendance at the lectures counts as a significant portion of the course grade. Attendance is taken at the beginning of the class period. Mandatory attendance at the lectures is enforced to emphasize preparation for the laboratory periods. One cannot skip the lectures and reading assignments and expect to work efficiently in the laboratory. Unlike the usual lecture-based course, there are no final exam; but, there will be homework and/or quizze covering materials discussed in the lectures. Once a laboratory session is completed, it will not be revisited; your opportunity to learn the material and gather data to prepare a good report ends with the laboratory session. Academic Integrity: The College Academic Integrity Policy applies, please become familiar with the policy at http://www.engr.psu.edu/CurrentStudents/acadinteg.aspx. In this course, students will work together in 2 to 3-person teams to setup equipment and collect experimental data. Laboratory reports and homework must be prepared and submitted individually, except for the experiment design joint report. Topics: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) Introduction and Basic Considerations Report Writing Gas Filled Detectors Statistics Counting Considerations Scintillation Detectors Neutron Detectors Spectroscopy Semiconductor Detectors Neutron Activation Analysis Experiment Design