[Triumf-seminars] TRIUMF Accelerator Seminar today at 14:00

[TRIUMF Seminars]

Date/Time: Wed 2014-02-26 at 14:00

Location:  ISAC2 conf. room    

Speaker:   Angelo Infantino (Department of Industrial Engineering (DIN), University of Bologna // with TR13 & PET group, TRIUMF)

Title:     FLUKA simulation of a small medical cyclotron: production investigation

Abstract: Cyclotrons are used in nuclear medicine to produce short-lived radionuclides of biomedical interest, especially for positron emission tomography. In the last years, the research in the cyclotron-produced medical radioisotopes has increased the need of new solutions and improvements in the production process. In this context, the use of Monte Carlo method in the design and optimization process assumes a very important role. In this work, we used the Monte Carlo code FLUKA, a general purpose tool for calculations of particle transport and interaction with matter, covering an extended range of applications and energies, to assess the saturation yield of several cyclotron-produced radioisotopes. The collimation system and the liquid and solid target assembly of the TRIUMF’s TR13 cyclotron have been modeled. A study of the proton beam has been performed to reproduce with a high level of detail the source term. The saturation yield was assessed for the 18O(p,n)18F, natO(p,x)13N, natMo(p,x)94mTc, natCa(p,x)44Sc, natZn(p,x)68Ga, natSr(p,x)86Y, natY(p,x)89Zr, natFe(p,x)56Co, natCr(p,x)52Mn, natZn(p,x)61Cu, natNi(p,x)55Co reactions and results have been compared with experimental data and, when possible, with theoretical data from IAEA. Results are in good agreement with experimental values, for most of the reactions studied, on average of a factor 2.3, when a pencil beam was used, and 1.8 when a spread out beam in direction and energy was used. At the end, a method to use external cross sections with proton fluence data obtained with FLUKA was developed and tested for all the reactions studied: the methods developed works and gives a good agreement in most of the cases.



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