Secondary charged particle equilibrium in 137Cs and 60Co reference radiation fields

EURADOS project on the impact of the proposed ICRU operational dose quantities

Following the publication of the joint The International Commissions on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) and on Radiological Protection (ICRP) report on new operational quantities for radiation protection, the European Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) have carried out an initial evaluation. The EURADOS report analyses the impact that the new quantities will have on: radiation protection practice; calibration and reference fields; European and national regulation; international standards and, especially, dosemeter and instrument design. The task group included experienced scientists drawn from across the various EURADOS working groups.

Applicability of the Dose Spiking Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Method for the Quantitative Measurements of Low Doses in Alanine Dosimetry

Ionizing radiation generates unpaired electrons or free radical centers in alanine. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) detects, identifies, and quantifies these free radicals, proportional to the absorbed dose. The accurate measurements of low doses using EPR dosimetry with alanine are highly challenging due to (1) the weak EPR dosimetric signal from low dose alanine and measurement errors, (2) the sample anisotropy in crystalline alanine, and (3) the background signals from sample impurities. This study explores the feasibility of using the dose spiking EPR technique to overcome these challenges and decreases the detection limit up to 20 milligray (mGy) in a low dose measurement using EPR. The measurement errors from the sample anisotropy were reduced by rotating the samples relative to the constant magnetic field direction using a goniometer and averaging the resulting EPR spectra. This technique decreased the measurement errors at high doses; however, it was insufficient to decrease the detection limit and increase the measurement accuracy at low doses (<0.5 Gy). As a result, the high measurement accuracy at the high doses (>4 Gy) was exploited to increase the accuracy at the low doses using the dose spiking EPR technique. To this end, the low-dose alanine sample, undetectable and not reliably measurable in the X-band continuous wave (CW) EPR spectrometer, spikes with a high dose (4 Gy). Then, the total dose was measured and subtracted from a spike dose to get the initial low dose. This technique detected and measured the low doses with reliable accuracy (±10%). As a result, we concluded that this method has great potential to solve the low dose measurement problems in alanine dosimetry.

CALCULATION OF THE DOSE CONVERSION COEFFICIENTS FOR CHINESE EYE LENS UNDER PHOTON EXPOSURE

In this work, the conversion coefficients from air kerma to the eye lens dose were calculated for photon exposures using the detailed eye and head Monte-Carlo (MC) model with the Chinese adult parameters. To verify the MC model and the simulation method, the conversion coefficients from fluence to the eye lens dose for mono-energy electrons (0.7-12 MeV) were calculated and compared with other studies. Then the conversion coefficients from air kerma to the doses in the entire lens and in the sensitive volume were calculated, respectively, for mono-energy photons (0.01-50 MeV) at different incidence angles (0-90°, in step of 15°). A small difference was found between the calculated conversion coefficient and the ICRP recommended value. The difference could be mainly due to the difference in their geometry characteristic of the eye and head models. In addition, the uncertainty analysis of the calculated conversion coefficients was performed in detail. The calculated dose conversion coefficient of the eye lens can be used to evaluate the eye lens dose for Chinese occupational staffs in external photon fields. And it can be used to determine the personal absorbed dose in the eye lens Dp lens in photon reference radiation fields.

Dosimetry and methodology of gamma irradiation for degradation studies on solvent extraction systems

The recycling of minor actinides from dissolved nuclear fuels by hydrometallurgical separation is one challenging strategy for the management of spent fuel. These future separation processes will likely be based on solvent extraction processes in which an organic solvent system (extractant and diluent) will be contacted with highly radioactive aqueous solutions. To establish a separation between different elements in spent nuclear fuel, many extractants have been studied in the past. A particular example is N,N,N′,N′-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA), which co-extracts lanthanides and actinides from nitric acid solutions into an organic phase (e.g. TODGA in n-dodecane). The radiolytic stability of these extractants is crucial, since they will absorb high doses of ionizing radiation during their usage. Worldwide, different gamma irradiation facilities are employed to expose extractants to ionizing radiation and gain insight in their radiation stability. The facilities differ in many ways, such as their environment (pool-type or dry), configuration and gamma sources (often 60Co or spent nuclear fuel). In this paper, a dosimetric assessment is made using different dosimeter systems in a pool-type irradiation facility, which has the advantage to be flexible in its arrangement of 60Co sources. It is shown that Red Perspex dosimeters can be used to accurately characterize this high dose rate gamma irradiation field (approx. 13.6 kGy h−1), after comparison with alanine, Fricke and ceric-cerous dosimetry in a lower dose rate gamma irradiation field (approx. 0.5 kGy h−1). A final validation of the whole chain of techniques is obtained by reproduction of the dose constants for TODGA in n-dodecane.

DEEP, SHALLOW AND EYE LENS DOSES FROM 106Ru/106Rh-A COMPARSION

106Ru/106Rh is unique amongst other commonly used beta sources such as 147Pm, 85Kr, 204Tl, 32P, natU and 90Sr/90Y in the sense that it is capable of simultaneously delivering shallow/skin, eye lens and deep/whole body doses (WBDs) and they differ from each other substantially. In view of this, the investigation of various quantities defined for individual monitoring is possible and this makes 106Ru/106Rh beta source, a classical example in radiation protection and dosimetry. This led us to estimate skin, eye lens and WBDs for 106Ru/106Rh beta source. Optically stimulated luminescence based ultra-thin α-Al2O3:C disc dosimeters were used in the present study. Typical values (relative) of the eye lens and whole body/deep doses with respective to the skin dose (100%) were experimentally measured as ~66 ± 4.6% and 17 ± 3.9%, respectively. The study shows that 106Ru/106Rh beta source is capable of delivering even WBD which is not the case with other beta sources.

Comparison of the High-Energy Photon Reference Fields of PTB and JAEA

A comparison has been conducted between the 6 MeV and 7 MeV (R-F) high-energy photon reference fields of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Both fields are set up according to ISO 4037. The results of both participants are in agreement within the combined uncertainties, thus the equivalence of the measurements is demonstrated.

Hp(0.07) photon irradiations at Seibersdorf for the EURADOS extremity dosemeter intercomparison 2009

In August 2009, almost 1000 passive extremity dosemeters were irradiated at the Dosimetry Laboratory Seibersdorf as part of the EURADOS intercomparison IC2009. Forty-four European individual monitoring services participated, with a total of 59 dosimetry systems (46 finger ring, 4 finger tip and 9 wrist/ankle dosemeter systems). Additionally, finger-ring dosemeters from the Dosimetry Service Seibersdorf were irradiated in a non-competitive manner. Dosemeter irradiations on rod and pillar phantoms in four photon-radiation fields complying with the ISO standard 4037 were performed with personal dose equivalent values (H(p)(0.07)) ranging from 4 to 480 mSv. Traceability was established by using an air-kerma-calibrated monitor ionisation chamber together with the X-ray facility as well as a calibrated (137)Cs gamma radiation field with a collimated beam geometry. The ISO-tabulated conversion coefficients from air kerma free-in-air to H(p)(0.07) were applied, resulting in the main contribution to the expanded measurement uncertainties.