A portable shield for a neutron howitzer used for instructional and research purposes

摘要

Neutron howitzers are routinely used in universities to activate samples for instructional laboratory experiments on radioactivity. They are also a convenient source of neutrons and gammas for research purposes, but they must be used with caution. This paper describes the modeling, design, construction, and testing of a portable, economical shield for a 1.0 Curie neutron howitzer. The Monte Carlo N Particle Transport Code (MCNP5) has been used to model the (PuBe)-Pu-239 source and the howitzer and to design the external neutron and gamma shield. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.