AbstractsEngineering

A prototype deep ocean nuclear moisture meter was developed based on the detection of epithermal neutrons backscattered from marine sediment molecules. Development consisted of choosing a source, a detector, containment materials, and associated counting equipment, followed by the construction and calibration of the probe. Thermal neutron response of the probe under various configurations was also studied. Moisture meter performance was predicted by a one-dimensional neutron diffusion code and the results compared with experimental measurements. It was found that a deep ocean probe could be built whose output was not affected by the type and quantities of solids found in a marine environment.