DARHT : integration of shielding design and analysis with facility design /

Abstract

The design of the interior portions of the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) Facility incorporated shielding and controls from the beginning of the installation of the Accelerators. The purpose of the design and analysis was to demonstrate the adequacy of shielding or to determine the need for additional shielding or controls. Two classes of events were considered: (1) routine operation defined as the annual production of 10,000 2000-ns pulses of electrons at a nominal energy of 20 MeV, some of which are converted to the x-ray imaging beam consisting of four nominal 60-ns pulses over the 2000-ns time frame, and (2) accident case defined as up to 100 2000-ns pulses of electrons accidentally impinging on some metallic surface, thereby producing x rays. Several locations for both classes of events were considered inside and outside of the accelerator hall buildings. The analysis method consisted of the definition of a source term for each case studied and the definition of a model of the shielding and equipment present between the source and the dose areas. A minimal model of the fixed existing or proposed shielding and equipment structures was used for a first approximation. If the resulting dose from the first approximation was below the design goal (1 rem/yr for routine operations, 5 rem for accident cases), then no further investigations were performed. If the result of the first approximation was above our design goals, the model was refined to include existing or proposed shielding and equipment. In some cases existing shielding and equipment were adequate to meet our goals and in some cases additional shielding was added or administrative controls were imposed to protect the workers. It is expected that the radiation shielding design, exclusion area designations, and access control features, will result in low doses to personnel at the DARHT Facility