Self-Powered Neutron Detector with Hafnium Metal Emitter in VVER Reactors

A self-powered neutron detector (SPND) with a neutron-sensitive emitter made of metallic hafnium is investigated. The SPND was manufactured at the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” and irradiated at the IR-8 reactor together with rhodium SPNDs. It is shown that, in contrast to the common SPND with a hafnium oxide emitter, this SPND produces an inertia-free signal that is only an order of magnitude smaller than that of the rhodium SPND.