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Title: A Code of Radiation Damage by Gamma - Paper 62

Conference ·
OSTI ID:23082900
;  [1]
  1. University School of Basic and Applied Sciences, G.G.S. Indraprastha University, New Delhi-110078 (India)

In recent years, the study of radiation damage of materials has seen a thrust because of the expectation of the high rate of radiation damage in fusion reactors, accelerator driven sub critical systems and damage of a control system of space vehicles by the high energy neutrons and gamma showers. Embrittlement of reactor vessels, corrosion of steel and swelling of fuel rods are the well known empirical examples of severe radiation damage. It is also realized that damage by high energy gammas is in no way insignificant, and it is equivalent to the damage by the neutrons. Secondly, value addition of certain materials like enhancement of electrical resistance, mechanical strength, color enhancement of precious stones on irradiation by neutrons and gammas and polymerization in the presence of gamma radiation add to the necessity of a Monte Carlo (MC) code of radiation damage in a wide range of energy. The JAIPU code, for the study of radiation damage by neutrons up to 10 MeV energy, incorporates features like development of secondary atomic cascade and PKA energy corrected for the ionization lose and production of Frenkel pair. MC estimation of both the primary and secondary displacements has been compared with the Frenkel pairs calculated using the NRT model. In the present work, JAIPU code is extended for irradiation of materials by high energy gammas. Here cascade generated by the incident gamma produces electrons by way of photo-electric, Compton and pair production until it is absorbed. The recoiled Frenkel pairs produced in electron + atom collision have been considered for the purpose of atomic cascade. Standard cross section libraries for gamma and electron interaction are used while for atom + atom collision we have made use of the IOTA code. In addition, in the code, the lattice structure of the irradiated material is simulated to know the positions of the photon interactions with atoms and the energy of electron it adds an extra feature of the position and size of the voids and the clusters produced on irradiation. The code has the possibility of calculation of 'absorbed radiation dose' and 'KERMA' and the interatomic distances of the displaced atoms. It may be pointed out that the code uses only the MC simulation of the number of displacements unlike several other approaches where the NRT model with PKA energy is used for gross estimation of the number of the displaced atoms. Thus, the code keeps an account of the positions of displaced atoms for the in-depth modification of the irradiated material. 1 MeV gamma seems to damage Fe up to several millimeters of its depth and this is mostly by the recoiled Compton electrons than photo electrons. The code is in the developmental stage and it has the capability of applications in the developing field of Radiology besides the shielding and other studies of radiation damage. (authors)

Research Organization:
American Nuclear Society - ANS, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
OSTI ID:
23082900
Resource Relation:
Conference: RPSD 2014: 18. Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division of ANS, Knoxville, TN (United States), 14-18 Sep 2014; Other Information: Country of input: France; 18 refs.; available on CD Rom from American Nuclear Society - ANS, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (US)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English