Estimation of prompt neutron and residual gamma dose rates and induced activity from 0.1–1.0 GeV protons incident on lead–bismuth target

The important parameters from the radiological safety points of view in the case of a lead bismuth target irradiated by protons of energy 100 MeV to 1 GeV are presented here. The prompt neutron yield and the neutron dose rates, time evolution of the induced activity and the resulting gamma dose rates from a lead–bismuth target irradiated by protons of 1 mA beam current for a period of one month are calculated using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code. Some of the results are compared with the values obtained by empirical expressions available in the literature for a medium Z target. The existing empirical relations are found to under predict the prompt neutron yield and the ambient dose equivalent values. A new set of empirical equations are proposed to calculate these parameters more accurately for 100 MeV–1 GeV protons incident on lead–bismuth target. 195Au, 201Tl, 203Pb, 205Bi, 206Bi, 207Bi, 208Po, 210Po and 3H are found to be the important radionuclides from the target handling perspective. The residual gamma dose rates obtained by the empirical relations appear to reproduce the results obtained in this study during the initial days of cooling.