Neutron dose evaluation inside high-energy accelerator irradiation vault using LR-115

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Dosimetry
• Nuclear Engineering

Background:

• High-energy radiation therapy utilizes accelerators but generates harmful secondary neutrons.
• Conventional neutron dosimeters like CR-39 are unsuitable for high-dose measurements in these environments.
• Neutrons pose a significant radiation risk due to their high radiation weighting factor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel method for measuring high-dose neutrons in high-energy accelerator irradiation rooms.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of LR-115 detectors for high-dose neutron dosimetry.
• To establish a lower limit for neutron effective dose evaluation using LR-115.

Main Methods:

• Utilized LR-115 solid-state nuclear track detectors for neutron detection.
• Conducted measurements in a high-energy accelerator irradiation vault.
• Verified experimental results using MCNP 6.2, a Monte Carlo particle transport simulation code.

Main Results:

• LR-115 demonstrated potential for evaluating high-dose neutrons, despite its lower detection efficiency.
• The neutron effective dose was found to increase linearly with the accelerator's beam current.
• Established the lower limit for neutron effective dose assessment using LR-115 detectors.

Conclusions:

• The proposed LR-115 method provides a viable approach for high-dose neutron measurement in radiation therapy settings.
• Findings offer crucial data for radiation protection protocols in high-energy accelerator facilities.
• This research contributes to ensuring safety and optimizing radiation protection for personnel and patients.