Paper detail

Induced radioactivity analysis for the NSRL Linac in China using Monte Carlo simulations and gamma-spectroscopy

The 200-MeV electron linac of the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) located in Hefei is one of the earliest high-energy electron linear accelerators in China. The electrons are accelerated to 200 MeV by five acceleration tubes and are collimated by scrapers. The scraper aperture is smaller than the acceleration tube one, so some electrons hit the materials when passing through them. These lost electrons cause induced radioactivity mainly due to bremsstrahlung and photonuclear reaction. This paper describes a study of induced radioactivity for the NSRL Linac using FLUKA simulations and gamma-spectroscopy. The measurements showed that electrons were lost mainly at the scraper. So the induced radioactivity of the NSRL Linac is mainly produced here. The radionuclide types were simulated using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code and the results were compared against measurements made with a High Purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma spectrometer. The NSRL linac had been retired because of upgrading last year. The removed components were used to study induced radioactivity. The radionuclides confirmed by the measurement are: $^{57}$Ni, $^{52}$Mn, $^{51}$Cr, $^{58}$Co, $^{56}$Co, $^{57}$Co, $^{54}$Mn, $^{60}$Co and $^{22}$Na, the first eight nuclides of which are predicted by FLUKA simulation. The research will provide the theoretical basis for the similar accelerator decommissioning plan, and is significant for accelerator structure design, material selection and radiation protection design.