Status : Verified
| Personal Name | Hila, Frederick C. |
|---|---|
| Resource Title | Predicting Material Response to High-Energy Photons with Newly Developed Monte Carlo Transport Software Featuring Spectroscopic Analysis Capabilities |
| Date Issued | 21 December 2024 |
| Abstract | This dissertation presents the development, validation, and application of a suite of computational tools primarily designed to model and characterize the responses of radiation detection materials to ionizing photons, with extensions to material dose distribution and shielding analysis that broaden their applicability to a wide range of scientific and industrial fields. The suite includes Detector Materials Simulations (DETMATS), Photon Transport and Response Characterization Kit (P-TReCK), and GaussSpectraSwift. DETMATS, an Excel-based VBA application using the EPICS2023 library, is benchmarked for calculating the efficiency of high-energy photon detection materials against PHITS 3.31, showing minimal relative differences across a range of photon energies for NaI(Tl) and LaBr3(Ce) detectors. The P-TReCK tool, developed in C# for Windows, simulates real-time spectrum analysis, material dose distributions, and shielding performance. It includes a specialized version for simulating true coincidence summing (TCS) effects, significantly improving accuracy in close source-detector geometries and material-specific responses. For example, when radioactive material TCS effects are modeled, P-TReCK and PHITS both show a 33% overestimation in 60Co detection efficiency if TCS is not considered in close source-detector configurations, highlighting the significant accuracy improvement achieved by incorporating TCS. This tool also calculates TCS correction factors for common radionuclides, with results showing a relative difference of less than 1% compared to recent literature values, demonstrating excellent agreement. In terms of speed, P-TReCK outperformed MCNP5 (basic physics) by 3.1x, MCNP5 (detailed physics) by 3.5x, PHITS 3.33 (basic physics) by 3.8x, PHITS 3.33 (detailed physics) by 4.2x, and DETMATS by 13x. Case studies demonstrate the versatility of P-TReCK in simulating gamma-ray detectors and material dose distributions. Simulations of irradiated material phantoms, wi |
| Degree Course | PhD in Materials Science and Engineering |
| Language | English |
| Keyword | Monte Carlo Simulation; Gamma rays; Gamma spectrometry; Material Dose Distribution; P-TReCK; True Coincidence Summing |
| Material Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
Preliminary Pages
901.13 Kb
Category : F - Regular work, i.e., it has no patentable invention or creation, the author does not wish for personal publication, there is no confidential information.
Access Permission : Open Access