ABSTRACT
The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, ICRU, have recommended, in ICRU Report 95, the adoption of new operational quantities for use in radiation protection monitoring. Their implementation will pose problems for instrument manufacturers supplying area dosemeters and for individual monitoring services providing personal dosemeters for radiation workers. The problems arise for photon, neutron and beta dosimetry, but this paper deals solely with neutron personal dosemeters based on poly-allyl diglycol carbonate (PADC) plastic. It presents information on the problems to be expected based on data from calibrations of actual personal neutron dosemeters in terms of the existing dose quantities.
Subject(s)
Occupational Exposure , Radiation Dosage , Radiation Monitoring , Radiometry , Humans , Neutrons , Occupational Exposure/analysisABSTRACT
In 2012 the IEC 62387-1:2007 (IEC.Radiation protection instrumentation-Passive integrating dosimetry systems for environmental and personal monitoring Part 1: General characteristics and performance requirements. IEC 62387-1:2007 (2007)) standard has been transposed by the CENELEC into a European version (EN 62387-1:2012 (Instrumentation pour la radioprotection-Systèmes dosimètriques intégrés passifs pour la surveillance de l'environnement et de l'individu-Partie 1 : Caractéristiques générales et exigences de fonctionnement. NF EN 62387-1:2012 (2012))). In order to meet with this standard, LANDAUER has developed, by Monte-Carlo method, a new dosemeter based on the Optically Stimulated Luminescence technology with Al2O3:C crystals and a new type of dose estimation algorithm. This dosemeter aims at measuring dose equivalent generated from exposure to X-rays, γ-rays and ß-rays. According to the standard, it has undergone a comprehensive set of tests that have been performed by the LNE-LNHB, the French national metrology laboratory responsible for the fields of ionizing radiation (Bordy, J.-M. Evaluation of the algorithms used to derive the dose from the raw readings of the Inlight LDR holder case type GN of Landauer. LNHB technical note, LNHB 2013-46 (2013)). In the end, the dosemeter was declared compliant with the EN 62387-1:2012 standard.
Subject(s)
Algorithms , Radiation Monitoring , Radiation Protection , Radiometry , Aluminum Oxide , Beta Particles , Radiation Dosage , Thermoluminescent Dosimetry , X-RaysABSTRACT
Near a nuclear reactor or a fuel container, mixed neutron/gamma fields are very common, necessitating routine neutron dosimetry. Accurate neutron dosimetry is complicated by the fact that the neutron effective dose is strongly dependent on the neutron energy and the direction distribution of the neutron fluence. Neutron field characterisation is indispensable if one wants to obtain a reliable estimate for the neutron dose. A measurement campaign at CANDU nuclear power plant located in Cernavoda, Romania, was set up to characterise the neutron fields in four different locations and to investigate the behaviour of different neutron personal dosemeters. This investigation intends to assist in choosing a suitable neutron dosimetry system at this nuclear power plant.
