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Title: MCNPX-CINDER'90 Simulation of Photonuclear Mo-99 Production Experiments

Abstract

The MCNPX and CINDER'90 codes were used to support design of experiments investigating Mo-99 production with a 20-MeV electron beam. Bremsstrahlung photons produced by the electron beam interacting with the target drive the desired Mo-100({gamma},n)Mo-99 reaction, as well as many undesired reactions important to accurate prediction of radiation hazards. MCNPX is a radiation transport code and CINDER'90 is a transmutation code. They are routinely used together for accelerator activation calculations. Low energy neutron fluxes and production rates for nonneutron and high energy neutron induced reactions computed using MCNPX are inputs to CINDER'90. CINDER'90 presently has only a neutron reaction cross section library up to 25 MeV and normally the other reaction rates come from MCNPX physics models. For this work MCNPX photon flux tallies modified by energy response functions prepared from evaluated photonuclear cross section data were used to tally the reaction rates for CINDER'90 input. The cross section evaluations do not provide isomer to ground state yield ratios so a spin based approximation was used. Post irradiation dose rates were calculated using MCNPX with CINDER'90 produced decay photon spectra. The sensitivity of radionuclide activities and dose rates to beam parameters including energy, position, and profile, as well as underlyingmore » isomer assumptions, was investigated. Three experimental production targets were irradiated, two natural Mo and one Mo-100 enriched. Natural Mo foils upstream of the targets were used to analyze beam position and profile by exposing Gafchromic film to the foils after each irradiation. Activation and dose rate calculations were rerun after the experiments using measured beam parameters for comparison with measured Mo-99 activities and dose rates.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [2];  [2]
  1. Los Alamos National Laboratory
  2. Argonne National Laboratory
  3. NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
DOE/LANL
OSTI Identifier:
1012630
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-11-10487
TRN: US1102342
DOE Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: Tenth International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Applications of Accelerators ; 2011-04-03 - 2011-04-07 ; Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
Accelerator Design, Technology, and Operations; Engineering (42); Isotope & Radiation Sources (07); Nuclear Physics & Radiation Physics (73); Particle Accelerators (43); Radiology & Nuclear Medicine (62); BEAM POSITION; BREMSSTRAHLUNG; CROSS SECTIONS; DOSE RATES; ELECTRON BEAMS; GROUND STATES; IRRADIATION; ISOMERS; NEUTRON REACTIONS; NEUTRONS; PHOTONS; RADIATION HAZARDS; RADIATION TRANSPORT; RADIOISOTOPES; REACTION KINETICS; RESPONSE FUNCTIONS; SPECTRA; SPIN; TARGETS; TRANSMUTATION

Citation Formats

Kelsey, IV, Charles T, Chemerizov, Sergey D, Dale, Gregory E, Harvey, James T, Tkac, Peter, and Vandegrift, George R III. MCNPX-CINDER'90 Simulation of Photonuclear Mo-99 Production Experiments. United States: N. p., 2011. Web.
Kelsey, IV, Charles T, Chemerizov, Sergey D, Dale, Gregory E, Harvey, James T, Tkac, Peter, & Vandegrift, George R III. MCNPX-CINDER'90 Simulation of Photonuclear Mo-99 Production Experiments. United States.
Kelsey, IV, Charles T, Chemerizov, Sergey D, Dale, Gregory E, Harvey, James T, Tkac, Peter, and Vandegrift, George R III. 2011. "MCNPX-CINDER'90 Simulation of Photonuclear Mo-99 Production Experiments". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1012630.
@article{osti_1012630,
title = {MCNPX-CINDER'90 Simulation of Photonuclear Mo-99 Production Experiments},
author = {Kelsey, IV, Charles T and Chemerizov, Sergey D and Dale, Gregory E and Harvey, James T and Tkac, Peter and Vandegrift, George R III},
abstractNote = {The MCNPX and CINDER'90 codes were used to support design of experiments investigating Mo-99 production with a 20-MeV electron beam. Bremsstrahlung photons produced by the electron beam interacting with the target drive the desired Mo-100({gamma},n)Mo-99 reaction, as well as many undesired reactions important to accurate prediction of radiation hazards. MCNPX is a radiation transport code and CINDER'90 is a transmutation code. They are routinely used together for accelerator activation calculations. Low energy neutron fluxes and production rates for nonneutron and high energy neutron induced reactions computed using MCNPX are inputs to CINDER'90. CINDER'90 presently has only a neutron reaction cross section library up to 25 MeV and normally the other reaction rates come from MCNPX physics models. For this work MCNPX photon flux tallies modified by energy response functions prepared from evaluated photonuclear cross section data were used to tally the reaction rates for CINDER'90 input. The cross section evaluations do not provide isomer to ground state yield ratios so a spin based approximation was used. Post irradiation dose rates were calculated using MCNPX with CINDER'90 produced decay photon spectra. The sensitivity of radionuclide activities and dose rates to beam parameters including energy, position, and profile, as well as underlying isomer assumptions, was investigated. Three experimental production targets were irradiated, two natural Mo and one Mo-100 enriched. Natural Mo foils upstream of the targets were used to analyze beam position and profile by exposing Gafchromic film to the foils after each irradiation. Activation and dose rate calculations were rerun after the experiments using measured beam parameters for comparison with measured Mo-99 activities and dose rates.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1012630}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011},
month = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011}
}

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