Uranium Target for Electron Accelerator Based Neutron Source for BNCT

摘要

Calculations of the epithermal-neutron yield of photoneutrons from a uranium-beryllium converter using a 27 MeV electron linear accelerator of have been investigated. In this concept, relativistic electron beams from a 30 MeV LINAC impinge upon a small uranium sphere surrounded by a cylindrical tank of circulating heavy water (D_2O) nested in a beryllium cube. The photo-fission neutron spectrum from the uranium sphere is thermalized in deuterium and beryllium, filtered and moderated in special material (AlF_3/Al//LiF), and directed to the patient. The results of these calculations demonstrate that photoneutron devices could offer a promising alternative to nuclear reactors for the production of epithermal neutrons for Neutron Capture Therapy. The predicted parameter for the epithermal flux is more than 10~8 n.cm~(-2).mA~(-1).