Optimization study for an epithermal neutron beam for boron neutron capture therapy at the University of Virginia Research Reactor
- Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States)
The non-surgical brain cancer treatment modality, Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), requires the use of an epithermal neutron beam. This purpose of this thesis was to design an epithermal neutron beam at the University of Virginia Research Reactor (UVAR) suitable for BNCT applications. A suitable epithermal neutron beam for BNCT must have minimal fast neutron and gamma radiation contamination, and yet retain an appreciable intensity. The low power of the UVAR core makes reaching a balance between beam quality and intensity a very challenging design endeavor. The MCNP monte carlo neutron transport code was used to develop an equivalent core radiation source, and to perform the subsequent neutron transport calculations necessary for beam model analysis and development. The code accuracy was validated by benchmarking output against experimental criticality measurements. An epithermal beam was designed for the UVAR, with performance characteristics comparable to beams at facilities with cores of higher power. The epithermal neutron intensity of this beam is 2.2 x 108 n/cm2 • s. The fast neutron and gamma radiation KERMA factors are 10 x 10-11cGy•cm2/nepi and 20 x 10-11 cGy•cm2/nepi , respectively, and the current-to-flux ratio is 0.85. This thesis has shown that the UVAR has the capability to provide BNCT treatments, however the performance characteristics of the final beam of this study were limited by the low core power.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76OR00033
- OSTI ID:
- 671978
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/OR/00033-T729; ON: DE97053593; TRN: 99:000329
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: TH: Thesis (M.S.); PBD: May 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Performance of a New Composite Single-Crystal Filtered Thermal Neutron Beam for Neutron Capture Therapy Research at the University of Missouri
Conceptual Design of a Clinical BNCT Beam in an Adjacent Dry Cell of the Jozef Stefan Institute TRIGA Reactor