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Title: Neutronics design of a medical therapy reactor

Abstract

The development of a Medical Therapy Reactor (MTR) facility for the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme and other presently incurable cancer types is underway at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). This paper addresses the feasibility of utilizing existing reactor technologies to deliver therapeutic doses of epithermal neutrons with minimal fast neutron and gamma contaminants. The two primary fuel candidates are a 10 wt% U-235 enriched UO/sub 2/ fuel and 45 wt% uranium in UZrH, 20 wt% U-235 enriched hydride fuel. Both candidates can produce a 10/sup 14/ n/m/sup 2/-s epithermal neutron flux at the patient end of a neutron filter with power levels below 10 MW/sub th/. This flux level results in a patient treatment period of about 10 minutes. The fast neutron and gamma contaminates of the beam during the treatment period are <2 Gy and <0.5 Gy, respectively. The facility configuration permits simultaneous treatment of multiple patients. With the expected operation schedule of approximately 2000 treatment periods per beam port per year, the reactor core lifetime is the same as the facility lifetime of 30 years and no refueling is necessary.

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
OSTI Identifier:
6941892
Report Number(s):
EGG-M-88286; CONF-880911-16
ON: DE88015179
DOE Contract Number:  
AC07-76ID01570
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: International reactor physics conference, Jackson Hole, WY, USA, 18 Sep 1988; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; 62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; MTR REACTOR; NEUTRON THERAPY; BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS; C CODES; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; D CODES; FUEL ELEMENTS; NEUTRON FLUX; NUCLEAR MEDICINE; REACTOR CORES; T CODES; URANIUM 235; URANIUM DIOXIDE; URANIUM HYDRIDES; ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS; ACTINIDE ISOTOPES; ACTINIDE NUCLEI; ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS; CHALCOGENIDES; COMPUTER CODES; ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS; EVEN-ODD NUCLEI; HEAVY NUCLEI; HYDRIDES; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; IRRADIATION REACTORS; ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES; ISOTOPES; MATERIALS TESTING REACTORS; MEDICINE; MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; NUCLEI; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; RADIATION EFFECTS; RADIATION FLUX; RADIOISOTOPES; RADIOLOGY; RADIOTHERAPY; REACTOR COMPONENTS; REACTORS; TANK TYPE REACTORS; THERAPY; THERMAL REACTORS; URANIUM COMPOUNDS; URANIUM ISOTOPES; URANIUM OXIDES; WATER COOLED REACTORS; WATER MODERATED REACTORS; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 220600* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Research, Test & Experimental Reactors; 550602 - Medicine- External Radiation in Diagnostics- (1980-)

Citation Formats

Neuman, W A, Parsons, D K, and Lake, J A. Neutronics design of a medical therapy reactor. United States: N. p., 1988. Web.
Neuman, W A, Parsons, D K, & Lake, J A. Neutronics design of a medical therapy reactor. United States.
Neuman, W A, Parsons, D K, and Lake, J A. 1988. "Neutronics design of a medical therapy reactor". United States.
@article{osti_6941892,
title = {Neutronics design of a medical therapy reactor},
author = {Neuman, W A and Parsons, D K and Lake, J A},
abstractNote = {The development of a Medical Therapy Reactor (MTR) facility for the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme and other presently incurable cancer types is underway at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). This paper addresses the feasibility of utilizing existing reactor technologies to deliver therapeutic doses of epithermal neutrons with minimal fast neutron and gamma contaminants. The two primary fuel candidates are a 10 wt% U-235 enriched UO/sub 2/ fuel and 45 wt% uranium in UZrH, 20 wt% U-235 enriched hydride fuel. Both candidates can produce a 10/sup 14/ n/m/sup 2/-s epithermal neutron flux at the patient end of a neutron filter with power levels below 10 MW/sub th/. This flux level results in a patient treatment period of about 10 minutes. The fast neutron and gamma contaminates of the beam during the treatment period are <2 Gy and <0.5 Gy, respectively. The facility configuration permits simultaneous treatment of multiple patients. With the expected operation schedule of approximately 2000 treatment periods per beam port per year, the reactor core lifetime is the same as the facility lifetime of 30 years and no refueling is necessary.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6941892}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988},
month = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988}
}

Conference:
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