Additional Measurements of the Radiation Environment at the Los Alamos Spallation Radiation Effects Facility at LAMPF

Abstract

Foil activation dosimetry experiments were conducted in a “rabbit” system at the completed Los Alamos Spallation Radiation Effects Facility (LASREF). The “rabbit” system contains four tubes spaced radially outward 0.12, 0.18, 0.27, and 0.38 m off beam centerline. Foils were irradiated for 3 to 62 h to measure the neutron flux and energy spectrum radially from beam centerline, along the beamline, and the effect of the isotope production (IP) target loadings on the neutron flux in the neutron irradiation locations. Irradiations showed a decrease in the radial flux by a factor of 6 in 0.15 m of iron outside the IP targets. An enhancement was seen in the 24-keV energy region outside 0.15 m. There was little difference in the shape of the spectra outside the IP targets and the beam stop with the exception of the high energy tail (energies above 20 MeV). The decrease in the high energy tail outside the beam stop is due to the degradation of the energy of the proton beam in the IP targets. Irradiations outside the beam stop with zero and eight IP targets gave the same spectral shape with the exception of the high energy tail. The magnitude of the integral flux decreased by a factor of two when eight IP targets were present. Irradiations with five “rabbits” stacked on top of each other showed no difference in the integral flux below, on and above beam centerline.