Design and Construct of In-Hospital Neutron Irradiator

The In-hospital neutron irradiator (IHNI) is designed based on the design of the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), NAA, physics experiments, training and teaching. The reactor of the IHNI with thermal power 30 kW is an undermoderated reactor of pool-tank type, UO2 with enrichment of 12.5% as fuel, light water as coolant and moderator, and metal beryllium as reflector. The fission heat produced by the reactor is removed by the natural circulation. On the both sides of the reactor core, there are two neutron beams, one is a thermal neutron beam, and the other, opposite to the thermal beam, is an epithermal neutron beam. An experimental thermal neutron beam is specially designed for the prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA). In this paper, the design and experiment results of IHNI will be introduced. (author)