Fail-safe ion chamber beam loss monitor system for personnel protection

A fail-safe beam loss monitor system has been designed for use in the Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center (LANSCE) Radiation Security System (RSS). The latest version (Model III) has been in use since 1991. This system has been carefully designed to protect personnel from large radiation doses caused by errant beam conditions during beam transport. Due to limited shielding between the beam transport lines and occupied areas, personnel can safely occupy these areas only if the beam losses in the transport lines are sufficiently low. Although the usual solution is to increase the bulk shielding between the beam lines and the occupied areas, the physical dimensions of the site do not permit additional shielding to be added. In this paper we will discuss the design and implementation of the fail-safe beam loss monitor system.