[en] Two-zone nonbreeding systems are studied using a pulsed neutron source. It is theoretically and experimentally shown that the following neutron-physical parameters of such systems can be calculated with high accuracy: the average neutron albedo, macroscopic capture cross section, the neutron diffusion coefficient. The method is applicable to small samples. The two-zone system of media with a cylindrical interface simulates a typical boundless layer crossed by a well. It is shown that calculation of the thermal neutron capture cross section in a laminated medium in one-rate diffusion approximation is in satisfactory agreement with experimental data for models of a laminated medium with a water-filled well. The effective capture cross section decreases with growing layers