Determination of the uncertainties associated to the use of different nuclear data libraries in the analysis of extended-range rem-meters

Roberto García-Baonza; Gonzalo F García-Fernández; Eduardo Gallego; Lenin E Cevallos-Robalino; Óscar Cabellos

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.110012

Determination of the uncertainties associated to the use of different nuclear data libraries in the analysis of extended-range rem-meters

Appl Radiat Isot. 2022 Jan:179:110012. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.110012. Epub 2021 Oct 29.

Authors

Roberto García-Baonza¹, Gonzalo F García-Fernández², Eduardo Gallego³, Lenin E Cevallos-Robalino⁴, Óscar Cabellos³

Affiliations

¹ Departamento de Ingeniería Energética, ETSI Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: roberto.gabaonza@alumnos.upm.es.
² Departamento de Ingeniería Energética, ETSI Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain; Biología y Técnica de la Radiación, S.L. (Bioterra, S.L.), C. Camino de los Perdigones 2, 28224, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain.
³ Departamento de Ingeniería Energética, ETSI Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
⁴ Carrera de Ingeniería Electrónica, Grupo de Investigación en Micro-Nanotecnología y Energía Nuclear (NANOTECH), Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS), C. Robles 107 Chambers, 090108, Guayas, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

PMID: 34740060
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.110012

Abstract

In proton therapy centers stray neutron radiation of up to 230-250 MeV is yielded by (p, Xn) nuclear reactions. To monitor ambient dose in such facilities, extended-range rem-meters are needed. The aim of this project was to characterize the response of two extended-range rem-meters, WENDI-II and LUPIN-II, by Monte Carlo methods, for energies ranging from 10^-9 MeV up to 230 MeV. Different nuclear data libraries (ENDF/B-VII.1, TENDL2017, TENDL2019, JEFF-3.3) have been used, determining the uncertainties associated with the application of the libraries in the calculation of the response functions of both monitors. The differences found are very significant at energies around 150-200 MeV. This is an issue for predicting by Monte Carlo methods the response of these instruments at high energies. The results point to the necessity of testing experimentally the response of rem-meters at 150 MeV-200 MeV neutron beams.

Keywords: LUPIN-II; MCNP6; Nuclear data libraries; Proton therapy; WENDI-II.