Thermal and epithermal neutron flux distributions measurement in thermal column of TRR using an experimental-simulation method.
For designing an appropriate neutron beam, the determination of neutron flux at any irradiation facility is an important key factor. Due to the importance of determining the thermal and epithermal neutron fluxes in a typical thermal column of a reactor, a simple and accurate technique is introduced in this study. Absolute thermal and epithermal fluxes were measured experimentally at a certain point using the foil activation method by neutron bombardment of bare and cadmium covered Au foils. The relative neutron fluxes were also derived simply by means of Monte Carlo simulation by accurate modelling of the reactor components. Finally, by normalization of the relative distribution flux with regard to information about the absolute neutron flux, the accurate thermal and epithermal neutron distributions were derived, separately.
A study of the use of palm fiber and palm shell as a thermal neutron radiation shielding material
Abstract Preliminary studies have been conducted to determine the benefits of using palm fiber and shells as thermal neutron radiation shielding materials. The method in this research using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). However, based on the results of SEM-EDX data analysis, it was found that palm fiber and shells containing carbon were 70.92% and 73.25%, respectively. Furthermore, the carbon element is expected to absorb thermal neutron radiation and its ability was analyzed by using the material activation method due to neutron exposure. For the purpose of this study, the BATAN PSTBM Neutron Radiography facility was used for the activation. Thermal neutron flux on gold pieces that passed the natural neutron radiation shield made from palm fiber and palm shells was analyzed before and after passing through the shield in the NAA PSTBM BATAN laboratory. This analysis showed that the attenuation coefficient of palm fiber is 0.9538 cm−1 and palm shells are 1.0837 cm−1. Therefore, it can be concluded that both materials can be used as thermal neutron radiation shielding materials.
Evaluation of Analgesic Effect of Caudal Epidural Tramadol, Tramadol-Lidocaine, and Lidocaine in Water Buffalo Calves (Bubalus bubalis)
Aim of this study was to compare the analgesic effect of tramadol and a combination of tramadol-lidocaine with that produced by lidocaine administration in the epidural space in buffalo calves. In a prospective randomized crossover study, ten male buffalo calves were used to compare the epidural analgesic effect of tramadol (1 mg/kg) and tramadol-lidocaine combination (0.5 mg/kg and 0.11 mg/kg, resp.) with that produced by 2% lidocaine (0.22 mg/kg). Loss of sensation was examined by pin-prick test. Onset time, duration, and degree of analgesia and ataxia were recorded after each treatment. Heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), rectal temperature, and haematobiochemical parameters were recorded after all treatments. Time to onset and duration of analgesia, respectively, were as follows: tramadol 11 ± 2 min and 208 ± 15 min; tramadol-lidocaine 6 ± 2 min and 168 ± 9 min; lidocaine 4 ± 1 min and 67 ± 13 min. Onset time and duration were significantly longer with tramadol than the other treatments. Duration was significantly longer with tramadol-lidocaine than lidocaine. Ataxia was mildly observed in tramadol-lidocaine and was moderate in lidocaine. HR, RR, and rectal temperature did not differ significantly from baseline after any treatment. Haematobiochemical parameters returned to basal levels by 24 h after all treatments. This combination might be clinically useful to provide analgesia in buffalo for long-duration surgical procedures.