Neutron measurements in the vicinity of a self-shielded pet cyclotron

Nolan E. Hertel, M. P. Shannon, Z. L. Wang, M. P. Valenzano, W. Mengesha, Ronald J. Crowe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

The radionuclides used in positron emission tomography (PET) are short-lived and generally must be produced on site using a cyclotron. A common end product of the nuclear reactions used to produce the PET radionuclides is neutron radiation. These neutrons could potentially contribute to the annual effective dose received by hospital personnel. A Bonner sphere spectrometer was used to measure neutron energy spectra at three locations near a self-shielded PET cyclotron. This cyclotron accelerates protons to 11 MeV. The neutron measurements reported were made during the production of 18F via the 18O(p,n 18F reaction (Q = -2.4 MeV). Neutron spectra were obtained with the BUMS unfolding code and converted to dose equivalent rates.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)255-261
Number of pages7
JournalRadiation protection dosimetry
Volume108
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2004

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
  • Radiation
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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