Chapters authored
Nuclear Safety Study of High Energy Heavy-ion Medical Accelerator Facility
During beam operation in heavy-ion medical accelerator facilities, radiological problems may arise during normal operation and by accidental loss in the beam system. This study emphasizes the nuclear safety aspects in designing a heavy-ion medical accelerator facility, with preliminary design concepts to accommodate a new synchrotron medical accelerator with a maximum energy of 430 MeV/u carbon ions. The beam loss points and irradiation rooms, which are potential hazardous areas of radiation exposure, are described for radiation shielding and activation simulations. Shielding simulations were performed according to the NCRP 147 recommendations, including skyshine and groundshine in a conservative manner with the occupancy factor of 1.0 and workload of 100%. The carbon 12 ions of energy 430 MeV/u generate radioactive isotopes as they interact with surrounding air and accelerator system components during transmission. The activation phenomena in air, cooling water, underground soil and ground water, and typical accelerator component materials such as iron and copper were estimated in detail. Nuclear safety simulations were performed by using the combination of MCNPX2.7.0 and the CINDER’90 codes. Thus, this report will provide a useful guide for estimating radiological impacts and allow optimal design of heavy-ion medical accelerator facilities with high safety standards.
Part of the book: Accelerator Physics