Calibration of epithermal neutron beam intensity for dosimetry at JRR-4

Yamamoto, Kazuyoshi ; Kumada, Hiroaki; Kishi, Toshiaki ; Torii, Yoshiya ; Sakurai, Yoshinori*; Kobayashi, Toru*

To carry out the boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) using the epithermal neutron, the epithermal neutron beam intensity was measured by using Au reaction rate activated on the resonance absorption peak (4.9eV). Two scaling factors, which are the reactor power calibration factor and the calculation/experiment (C/E) scaling factor, are necessary in order to correct with the simulation and actual irradiation experiment. First, an optimum detector position was investigated using MCNP code. The result of MCNP calculation showed that the influence of subject placed at the collimator was below 1% when the detector was placed in the distance of over 20cm from the collimator. Therefore we installed the monitor holders near the bismuth block in order to set three gold wire monitors. The factors were determined in the calibration experiments that measure the thermal neutron flux in the phantom and reaction rate of the gold wire monitors. The monitoring technique to measure epithermal neutron beam intensity was applied to clinical irradiation with the epithermal neutron beam.