Estimates of dose rates during the dismantling of JET.
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A three-dimensional neutronic modelling of the LMJ facility has been performed. The Monte Carlo transport code TRIPOLI is used to obtain the neutron spectra required for the inventory code FISPACT. Nodal activation responses and time-dependent decay gamma spectra are produced and used as source terms for further treatment by TRIPOLI for a range of engineering and safety assessments. It is shown that three-dimensional neutronic and nodal activation can be performed in a convenient way and the results obtained by this procedure will serve as a data-base for design and S&E analysis.
Several passive detectors were used to estimate dosimetry and microdosimetry characteristics of radiation field onboard spacecraft, namely: thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs), mainly to appreciate the contribution of radiation with low-linear energy transfer (LET); Si diode, to try to establish the contribution of fast neutrons; an LET spectrometer based on the chemically etched polyallyldiglycolcarbonate etched track detectors (PADC-TEDs). Detectors have been exposed onboard MIR and International Space Station (ISS) since 1997, they were also used during the MESSAGE 2 biological experiment, October 2003. The results are presented, analysed and discussed. Particular attention is devoted to the possibility of estimating neutron contribution based on data obtained with PADC-TED spectrometer of LET.
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The new French radiation protection legislation requires the definition of the zoning of accelerator facilities with respect to radioactive waste. This activation inside the ESRF 6 GeV storage ring is essentially due to photonuclear reactions. This paper describes the first results of Monte Carlo calculations that were started to prepare this zoning. The electron beam losses inside the storage ring, required to calculate saturation activities, are described. Results for the activation of the air inside the ring tunnel and of the cooling water are presented. The activation of accelerator components is illustrated with the results of the activation of the stainless steel vessels in a standard cell and in a cell with higher losses due to the presence of a vertical scraper. The amount of activation is compared with clearance levels given in the European directive 96/29/Euratom.
The main aim of this study is the qualfication of MCNPX code by using the experimental information obtained at HIMAC facility on the bombardment of different materials with He ions accelerated to 100 and 180 MeV/nucleon. The flux of secondary neutrons at different angles relative to ion direction is calculated and compared with published experimental data. Main findings are the reasonable modelling of the high-energy part of the secondary neutrons at forward angles and the code fail for the low-energy part.
A new modeling system for high-intensity neutral particle radiation fields is presented. The code PANDEMONIUM calculates external effective dose rates from neutrons and photons produced at specific locations within an industrial-size plutonium processing facility. The new version of PANDEMONIUM introduces time-dependent neutronics for source multiplication coupled with transient source and detector positions. The code is designed to provide quick and acceptably accurate total effective dose estimates for scenarios and facilities for which conventional methods prove to be too impractical or costly to model. The energy range of the code has also been extended to include the effects of prompt-fission photons.
The high-energy programme of the HINDAS European project has provided a large amount of experimental data and led to a better understanding of the spallation reaction mechanism and the development of more reliable spallation models. These data, or the new models, which have been implemented into high-energy transport codes, can be now used to predict with a larger confidence or, at least with a known uncertainty, some important quantities for the design of spallation sources. In this paper, examples concerning the residue production in a Pb-Bi target and the high-energy neutrons escaping the target are presented. In the first case, the activity and the amount of radioactive volatile elements that can be released, in case of a containment failure, are calculated and the level of confidence of the calculation is assessed. The second example shows that the models correctly predict the high-energy tail of the neutron spectrum, which is important for radioprotection in the facility.
In typical realistic scenarios, dose factors due to 60Co contaminated steel, used in consumer products, cannot be approximated by standard exposure geometries. It is then necessary to calculate the effective dose using an appropriate anthropomorphic phantom. MCNP calculations were performed using a MIRD human model in two settings. In the first, a male office worker is sitting in a chair containing contaminated steel, surrounded by contaminated furniture. In the second, a male driver is seated inside an automobile, the steel of which is uniformly contaminated. To accurately calculate the dose to lower body organs, especially the gonads, it was essential to modify the MIRD model to simulate two sitting postures: chair and driving position. The phantom modifications are described, and the results of the calculations are presented. In the case of the automobile scenarios, results are compared to those obtained using an isotropic fluence-to-dose conversion function.
The prediction of solar particle event occurrence and the resulting effects on humans and electronics continues to be a mission and/or life-threatening concern for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and military and commercial satellite operators. While the frequency of events generally follows the solar cycle, individual event occurrence is sporadic and the prediction of resulting effects prior to the event onset is difficult. In one approach to space weather prediction, the forecaster begins to make predictions after the onset of an event. Previous work proved the efficacy of a forecasting methodology that used Bayesian inference and dose and/or dose rate information obtained early after the onset of an event to make predictions of dose and dose rate time profiles out to 120 h beyond onset. The previous work, however, was restricted to predictions for single-event solar particle events. Some of the largest recorded events, including the October 1989 and August 1972 events, were actually multiple events. In this study, we present an analysis of nine large events, some single and some multiple. This work ties together particle flux and fluence data with dose rate and dose calculations in an effort to develop a criterion for characterising an event as multiple and thus, generalising the Bayesian methodology to allow predictions for all events. Dose time profile predictions are made for the four separate events that made up the October 1989 event.
A simple dosemeter made of a sulphur tablet, bare and cadmium-covered indium foils and a cadmium-covered copper foil has been modelled using MCNP5. Studies of the model without phantoms or other confounding factors have shown that the cross sections and fluence-to-dose factors generated by the Monte Carlo method agree with those generated by analytic expressions for the high-energy component. In this study, the effect of location on phantoms is studied and an extension of this study to low and intermediate energies is done. The activities expected from exposure to four critical assemblies on phantom is calculated and compared with observations.
The CERN Superconducting Proton Linac (SPL) is expected to provide a 2.2 GeV, 4 MW proton beam to feed facilities such as, for example, a neutrino factory or a neutrino superbeam. Material activation in such facilities is an important aspect that has to be taken into account at an early stage in designing it. In particular, the choice of the target has consequences on the induced radioactivity and dose rates in the target station and its surroundings. In the present work, the radiological aspects of a stationary target made up of tantalum pellets are compared with those of a free-surface jet of mercury. An estimation of the hadronic inelastic interactions and the production of residual nuclei in the target, the two concentric magnetic horns, the decay tunnel, the surrounding rock and a downstream dump were performed for both targets using the Monte Carlo code FLUKA. The aim was to assess the dose-equivalent rate that is to be expected during maintenance work and to evaluate the amount of residual radioactivity, which will have to be disposed of after the facility has ceased operation. The problem of after-heat in the tantalum target and the consequences of raising the proton beam energy from 2.2 to 4 GeV were also investigated.
In a beta-beam facility, a pure beam of electron neutrinos, or their antiparticles, are produced by the decay of fully stripped radioactive ions (6He and 18Ne) circulating in a storage ring. Since the beam is not extracted from the ring, all the particles will eventually be lost somewhere in the machine and thus activate the accelerator components and the surrounding concrete and rock. In particular, as nuclei change their charge in beta-decay, a large part of the particles will be lost in the arcs of the decay ring and mainly irradiate the magnets. The density of inelastic interactions of hadrons in the magnets, concrete and rock and the track-length distribution of secondary hadrons were calculated by means of the FLUKA Monte Carlo code. These values were used to estimate the induced radioactivity in the facility, the dose rates expected in the decay ring and the consequences for the environment.
Radiation safety impact for the upcoming top-up operation at the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) has been investigated with emphasis on the consequence of injection efficiency. Keeping the storage ring at high stored current by frequent injections, the top-up operation will inevitably increase the radiation dose compared with that in the present decay mode, especially when the injection efficiency is low. In addition, significantly high level of radiation could stream through the ratchet wall openings during top-up injections while shutters are open. Therefore, a series of radiation safety analyses including calculations and measurements have been carried out to assess the feasibility of this mode on the prospective radiation protection. The paper summarises the evaluation and the corresponding action plans for radiation safety.
Simulation of detector calibration using the Monte Carlo method is very convenient. The computational calibration procedure using the MCNP code was validated by comparing results of the simulation with laboratory measurements. The standard source used for this validation was a disc-shaped filter where fission and activation products were deposited. Some discrepancies between the MCNP results and laboratory measurements were attributed to the point source model adopted. In this paper, the standard source has been simulated using both point and surface source models. Results from both models are compared with each other as well as with experimental measurements. Two variables, namely, the collimator diameter and detector-source distance have been considered in the comparison analysis. The disc model is seen to be a better model as expected. However, the point source model is good for large collimator diameter and also when the distance from detector to source increases, although for smaller sizes of the collimator and lower distances a surface source model is necessary.
The epithermal neutron beam at the LVR-15 reactor was designed for the Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) of cancers, but it has also been used for material testing. In the case where the beam is closed with two designed shutters, there is still an indispensable background in the irradiation room, which limits the movement of persons during patient positioning before exposure or during the preparation of the samples. Because the epithermal filter of the beam was designed in a former thermal column, as a multi-layer system, it was suspected that both fast neutrons and photons penetrated the filter shielding into the room. The purpose of this study was to determine the causes of potential faulty shielding and to estimate the doses to persons who perform the irradiation experiments and/or exposure of patients. The quality of the shielding was evaluated from two-dimensional measurements of both neutron and photon distribution on the surface of the beam shutter. During the measurement both the shutters of the epithermal beam were closed and the reactor was operated at the nominal power of 9 MW. This experimental arrangement is similar to the conditions that exist when either the irradiation experiments or the exposure of patients is performed in this room. The neutron space distribution was measured using a Bonner sphere of phi 76.2 mm diameter with an LiI(TI) scintillation detector of phi 4 x 8 mm. A small Geiger-Muller tube was used for the measurement of photon distribution. The detectors were placed on a three-dimensional positioning equipment controlled by a computer, which enabled automatic measurement with 1 cm mesh step. Results of the measurement show that the background profile in the irradiation room has reasonable maximum only at the beam aperture.
The optimisation of the radiation protection for the workers in nuclear industry is an important part of the safety culture. The application of the ALARA concept (to keep exposures as low as reasonably achievable) is not always straightforward as it is influenced by the site geometry, source distribution and work organisation. A good ALARA pre-job study must therefore be performed and should contain predicted doses for the different suggested work scenarios and provide a quantitative basis to select between various alternative work scenarios for a specific operation. In order to handle this information, SCK-CEN developed the VISIPLAN 3D ALARA planning tool. The tool makes it possible to evaluate the dose due to external gamma exposure based on the simulation of work scenarios taking into account worker positions and subsequent geometry and source distribution changes in a three-dimensional environment.
In the past, some privately owned commercial facilities in the United States were involved in producing or processing radioactive materials used in the production of atomic weapons. Seven different geometrical objects, representative of the configurations of natural uranium metal potentially encountered by workers at these facilities, are modelled to determine gamma ray and bremsstrahlung dose rates. The dose rates are calculated using the MCNP5 code and also by using the MICROSHIELD point-kernel code. Both gamma ray and bremsstrahlung dose rates are calculated and combined to obtain a total dose rate. The two methods were found to be in good agreement despite differences in modelling assumptions and method differences. Computed total dose rates on the surface of these objects ranged from approximately 51-84 microSv h(-1) and 17-95 microSv h(-1) using the MCNP5 and the MICROSHIELD modeling, respectively. The partitioning of the computed dose rates between gamma rays and bremsstrahlung were the same order of magnitude for each object.