Beam port filters in a TRIGA MARK III nuclear reactor to produce epithermal neutrons for BNCT

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and aggressive brain tumor and it is difficult to treat with conventional surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. An alternative treatment is boron neutron capture therapy which requires an energy modulated beam of neutrons and a¹⁰B drug capable of adhering to the tumor. In this work, MCNP6 Monte Carlo code was used to evaluate the effect on the neutron spectrum by placing two filters along the radial beam tube of the TRIGA Mark III nuclear reactor of ININ in Mexico. Every filter was made with the same amount and type of materials: Steel and Graphite for filter 1 and Cadmium, Aluminum, and Cadmium (Cd + Al + Cd) for filter 2. Two cases were analyzed for each filter as follows: Case A for filter 1 was considering 30 cm of steel and 30 cm of graphite, while for case B, the dimensions of filter 1 were 15 cm of steel, 15 cm of graphite, 15 cm of steel and 15 cm of graphite. Cases A and B for filter 2 were analyzed considering the same dimensions and amount of materials. The work was in the aim to produce epithermal neutrons for boron neutron capture therapy. Neutron spectra were calculated at three sites along the beam tube and two sites outside the beam tube; here, the ambient dose equivalent, the personal dose equivalent, and the effective doses were also estimated. At a distance of 517 cm of core, in case B, results in an epithermal-to-thermal neutron fluence ratio of 30.39 was obtained being larger than the one recommended by the IAEA of 20.