Intercomparison of radiation protection devices in a high-energy stray neutron field, Part I: Monte Carlo simulations

Abstract

An intercomparison of radiation protection devices in a high-energy stray neutron field was held in the framework of the COordinated Network for Radiation Dosimetry [CONRAD, http://www.eurados.org/conrad/conrad_overview.htm], financed by the European Commission. An irradiation hall of the GSI (Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany) was the facility selected for this benchmark experiment. The measurements were carried out outside the shielding barriers of this facility, while bombarding a thick carbon target with a beam of 400 MeV/u carbon ions. This paper describes the Monte Carlo simulations which were performed in order to characterize the radiation field at the measurement positions. Two codes were used for this purpose, namely FLUKA and MCNPX. Different approaches were adopted for the simulations and the results are compared and discussed. The results of the different simulations were in a satisfactory agreement. The comparisons with the measurements are discussed in Wiegel et al. [Intercomparison of radiation protection devices in a high-energy stray neutron field. Part II: Bonner sphere spectrometry. Radiat. Meas., 2008] and Silari et al. [Intercomparison of radiation protection devices in a high-energy stray neutron field. Part III: instrument response. Radiat. Meas., 2008].