Conceptual design of a medical reactor for neutron capture therapy

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Nuclear Technology; (United States)

OSTI ID:7024575

Neuman, W A; Jones, J L ^[1]

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1. EG G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

A conceptual design of a passively safe reactor facility for boron neutron capture therapy is presented. The facility configuration and its neutronic, thermal hydraulic, and safety issues are addressed in order to demonstrate the deployability of reactor technology for routine patient treatments and advanced research and dosimetry. The reactor has a power level of <10 MW (thermal) and is based on low-enriched UZrH fuel. The reactor facility generates a clean epithermal neutron beam capable of treating deep-seated brain tumors ([approximately] 70 mm) in <10 min. The incident fast neutron and gamma-ray contaminants in the beam are 1.8 and 0.4 Gy, respectively, for a 20-Gy therapeutic dose to a deep-seated tumor. With an expected operation schedule of [approximately]2,000 treatment periods per year, the reactor core lifetime is equal to the 30-yr facility lifetime and no refueling is necessary. Five beam ports are available for simultaneous patient treatments allowing between 2,000 and 10,000 treatments per year with expansion capabilities of at least threefold for 24 h/day operation. The cost per patient treatment is small, about $1,000, making the therapy very affordable. The reactor system design includes several passive safety features that allow the reactor to respond in a safe and benign manner in the event of off-normal transients. The response for various instantaneous reactivity insertions is assessed. Results show the reactor can passively respond to a reactivity insertion of 2 dollars such that the maximum temperature limits of the fuel are not exceeded.

• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 7024575
• Journal Information: Nuclear Technology; (United States), Vol. 92; ISSN 0029-5450
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
IRRADIATION REACTORS
DESIGN
NEUTRON CAPTURE THERAPY
BRAIN
EFFICIENCY
NEOPLASMS
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
URANIUM HYDRIDES
ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
BODY
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
MATERIALS
MEDICINE
METALS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEUTRON THERAPY
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
REACTORS
THERAPY
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS
220600* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Research
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