Construction and characterization of a fission converter based epithermal neutron beam for BNCT

This study demonstrates the first successful implementation of a fission converter to produce a source of epithermal neutrons suitable for BNCT. The final design, construction and characterization of a new epithermal neutron beam is presented. A high intensity source with low contamination is obtained using a fission converter driven by thermal neutrons from the MIT research reactor. The facility is housed in the experimental hall and operates in parallel with other user applications. The fission converter is powered by 10 spent MITR-II fuel elements and employs resonance scattering filters with thermal neutron absorbers to tailor the neutron energy distribution. A lead shield attenuates photon contamination in the beam and lead collimators direct the neutron beam toward the patient. A horizontal beamline leads to the new medical room which is built with 1.1 m thick, high density concrete walls and is large enough to permit various treatment configurations. Ambient dose equivalent rates outside the shielded room are < I mrem/hr with the converter operating at full power and do not interfere with other experimental users and reactor operations.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctoral

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2001

Author dc:creator

• Riley, Kent J.(Kent Jason)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Otto K. Harling.

• Nuclear Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/123100

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/123100