Dose mapping of a 60Co irradiation facility using PENELOPE and MCNPX and its validation by chemical dosimetry

The Monte Carlo simulation programs PENELOPE and MCNPX have been used for simulating the dose rate distribution in a 60Co gamma irradiator. The simulated isodose curves obtained for each simulation code were validated comparing them to the dose measurements performed with a Fricke solution, which is a standard dosemeter widely used in radiation processing for calibration purposes. The agreement between the simulated values and the measurements indicates the effectiveness of both codes in performing the dose-mapping simulation for gamma irradiators.