A study on numerical simulation method of Cs2LiYCl6:Ce3+ detection response in neutron well logging

Abstract

Neutron well logging, using instruments equipped with neutron source and detectors (e.g., ·He-tubes, Nal, BGO), plays a key role in lithological differentiation, porosity determination, and fluid property evaluation in the petroleum industry. The growing trend of multifunctional neutron well logging, which enables simultaneous extraction of multiple reservoir characteristics, requiring high-performance detectors capable of withstanding high-temperature downhole conditions, limited space, and instrument vibrations, while also detecting multiple particle types. The Cs,LiYClg:Ce>" (CLYC) elpasolite scintillator demonstrates excellent temperature resistance and detection efficiency, making it become a promising candidate for leading the development of the novel neutron-based double-particle logging technology. This study employed Monte Carlo simulations to generate equivalent gamma spectra and proposed a pulse shape discrimination simulation method based on theoretical analysis and probabilistic iteration. The performance of CLYC was compared to that of common detectors in terms of physical properties and detection efficiency. A double-particle pulsed neutron detection system for porosity determination was established, based on the count ratio of equivalent gamma rays from the range of 2.95-3.42 MeVee energy bins. Results showed that CLYC can effectively replace ·He-tubes for porosity measurement, providing consistent responses. This study offers numerical simulation support for the design of future neutron well logging tools and the application of double-particle detectors in logging systems. © 2025 The Authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncnd/4.0/).