Thermal Neutron Capability

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) - Armaments Center (AC), Quality Engineering and Systems Assurance (QE&SA) Directorate's Radiography Laboratory, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, provides direct developmental and operational test support for production sampling and malfunction investigations of DEVCOM AC products (ammunition, weapons, weapons/fire control systems, and munitions engineering elements). The Radiography Laboratory conducts non-destructive testing and evaluation to determine a product's actual internal construction and composition as compared to the specification with which its construction parameters are set. The results of this non-destructive evaluation are then used to confirm a product's quality and/or integrity (safety, lethality, ruggedness and survivability), and to verify claims of operational limits and prepare assets for reliable field operations. Radiographic inspection has been primarily limited to x-radiographic (x-ray) inspection. Using neutrons for nondestructive testing has been limited to nuclear reactors and national laboratories until very recently. The development of compact accelerator sources has made neutron radiography more accessible. Neutron radiography is a powerful nondestructive technique that produces complimentary information to x-ray inspection. Interrogation of an object with neutrons produces a two-dimensional attenuation map of neutrons that have penetrated an object being examined [1]. Thermal neutrons interact with the nucleus of atoms, whereas x-rays predominantly interact with the electron cloud. Neutrons have strong interactions with organic materials like hydrogen and carbon. Therefore, neutron radiography is particularly useful for investigations involving explosives, plastics and other low atomic number materials. The U.S. Army has a requirement to obtain a thermal neutron (0.025eV) radiography capability. This capability should include a moderator, collimator and detector assembly, which must be integrated into an existing fast-neutron radiography imaging system which outputs neutrons with an average energy of 6-8 MeV with a total neutron yield up to 10^13 n/s coming off the target surface. The entire imaging system must be capable of producing a category 1 film per ASTM E545. Thermal neutron to gamma ratio should be maximized. The distance between the source and the imaging plan (L) divided by the diameter of the source aperture (D) ratio should be made adjustable for each collimator. At least two L/D - modes should be made available. Exposure times should be approximately one hour for typical parts requiring interrogation of thermal neutrons. For neutron radiography, a detector collectively refers to both a converter and image recorder. [1] Two types of image recorders are required; they are film and two forms of digital detection. Digital image spatial resolution should be in the range of 125-200 microns. References: [1] Anderson, Ian S., et al. Neutron Imaging and Applications: A Reference for the Imaging Community. Springer US, 2009. DISCLAIMER* - THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A - REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. 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