• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.621-627
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• 2024

With the increasing utilization of cyclotrons in medical, research, and industrial applications, effective shielding in cyclotron rooms has become crucial to ensure worker safety. This study focuses on optimizing the shielding wall thickness by using a water-based composite shielding wall in cyclotron rooms. The Moyer model was employed to calculate the external dose rates from neutron reactions at various energy levels (8.4, 13, 18, 30, and 50 MeV) on an Nb target. The neutron energy spectra required for the calculations were derived using the Talys program. The shielding efficiency of the water-based composite wall was compared with that of a conventional concrete wall. The results showed that the optimal thicknesses of the composite shielding wall were 1.38m at 8.4 MeV, 1.58m at 13 MeV, 15.8m at 18 MeV, 15.8m at 30 MeV, and 1.58m at 50 MeV. The composite wall demonstrated its potential for more efficient neutron shielding by reducing the required thickness across various energy levels. This study provides foundational data for neutron shielding design in cyclotron facilities and is expected to contribute to the optimization of practical shielding materials and thicknesses.