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Growth beyond megawatts
Hash Hashemianpresident@ans.org
When talking about growth in the nuclear sector, there can be a somewhat myopic focus on increasing capacity from year to year. Certainly, we all feel a degree of excitement when new projects are announced, and such announcements are undoubtedly a reflection of growth in the field, but it’s important to keep in mind that growth in nuclear has many metrics and takes many forms.
Nuclear growth—beyond megawatts—also takes the form of increasing international engagement. That engagement looks like newcomer countries building their nuclear sectors for the first time. It also looks like countries with established nuclear sectors deepening their connections and collaborations. This is one of the reasons I have been focused throughout my presidency on bringing more international members and organizations into the fold of the American Nuclear Society.
C. Fedon, R. P. Kollaard, A. Metz
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 199 | Number 1 | April 2025 | Pages S500-S506
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2024.2357435
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the context of designing radiotherapy facilities, typical dose estimation methods involve analytical approaches, as outlined in International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safety Reports Series No. 47 (IAEA 47). These methods are known for their ease of use and rapid calculations, but they could lead to either overestimation or underestimation of radiation doses. Hence, the integration of Monte Carlo (MC) methods is considered valuable. In this particular study, a radiotherapy facility was modeled using MCNP version 6.2, and dose calculations were conducted using analytical techniques following both IAEA 47 guidelines and MC simulations. The study focused on monoenergetic photon cone beams with energies of 10 and 15 MeV. Notably, the beam’s orientation prevented primary radiation from reaching the dose location at the entrance of the maze, allowing only scatter radiation to contribute to the tally. Given the challenges associated with obtaining reliable and accurate results through standard MCNP calculations, the investigation focused on the use of weight windows as a variance reduction technique. The findings revealed that the IAEA method tends to provide conservative results only when the same conditions were replicated in the MC simulations. In fact, approximately 50% of the final dose estimated through MC methods accounted for factors that were not considered in the analytical calculations. The primary contributor to scattering (averaging around 30%) was identified as the floor and ceiling. This study underscores the need for caution when relying solely on the analytical approach, as it may not consistently yield conservative outcomes.