Implementation of FLUKA for γ-ray applications in the marine environment

The FLUKA code was implemented to simulate pulse-height spectra of a NaI(Tl) detector (excluding its resolution), considering radioactive sources of naturally occurring and artificial radionuclides present in the marine environment. For this purpose, a user-defined routine was developed for the proper simulation of the emitted γ-rays. The results were compared with simulations performed using the MCNP-CP code. The comparison of the recorded counts in the full-energy peaks, for the high intensity (emission probability >15%) emitted γ-rays for each radionuclide, yielded a satisfactory agreement (calculated ratios from 0.93 ± 0.05 to 1.07 ± 0.02) in all the studied cases. - Highlights: • Implementation of the FLUKA Monte Carlo code for environmental applications. • Modification of a user-routine for decay simulation of series radionuclides. • Satisfactory agreement with corresponding results using the MCNP-CP Monte Carlo code.