Workplace Fields Research Articles

The influence of the energy distribution of workplace fields on neutron personal dosemeter reading

Variations in the energy dependence of response of neutron personal dosemeters cause systematic errors in the readings obtained in workplace fields. The magnitude of these errors has been determined theoretically by folding measured and calculated workplace energy distributions with dosemeter response functions, to determine the response of a given personal dosemeter in that field. These results have been analysed with consideration of the dosemeter response to various calibration spectra, and with reference to different workplaces. The dosemeters in the study are discussed in terms of the workplaces for which they can be suitably calibrated. Deficiencies in the published neutron energy distributions are identified.

The importance of the direction distribution of neutron fluence, and methods of determination

For the estimation of non-isotropic quantities such as personal dose equivalent and effective dose, and for the interpretation of the readings of personal dosemeters, it is necessary to determine both the energy and direction distributions of the neutron fluence. In fact, for workplace fields, the fluence and dose-equivalent responses of dosemeters and the relationships of operational and protection quantities, are frequently more dependent on the direction than on the energy distribution. In general, the direction distribution will not be independent of the energy distribution, and simultaneous determination of both may be required, which becomes a complex problem. The extent to which detailed information can be obtained depends on the spectrometric properties and on the angle dependence of the response of the detectors used. Methods for the determination of direction distributions of workplace fields are described.

Systematic errors in the readings of track etch neutron dosemeters caused by the energy dependence of response

A study has been performed to assess the extent to which variations in the energy dependence of response of neutron personal dosemeters can cause systematic errors in readings obtained in workplace fields. This involved a detailed determination of the response functions of personal dosemeters used in the UK. These response functions were folded with workplace spectra to ascertain the under- or over-response in workplace fields.

Test patterns for integrated circuits subject of Scottsdale conference

The European Commission has funded within its 6th Framework Programme a three-year project (2005–2007) called CONRAD, COordinated Network for RAdiation Dosimetry. The organizational framework for this project was provided by the European radiation Dosimetry Group EURADOS. Work Package 6 of CONRAD dealt with “complex mixed radiation fields at workplaces” and in this context it organised a benchmark exercise, which included both measurements and calculations, in a stray radiation field at a high-energy particle accelerator at GSI, Germany. The aim was to intercompare the response of several types of active detectors and passive dosemeters in a well-characterised workplace field. The Monte Carlo simulations of the radiation field and the experimental determination of the neutron spectra with various Bonner Sphere Spectrometers are discussed in Rollet et al. (2008) and in Wiegel et al. (2008). This paper focuses on the intercomparison of the response of the dosemeters in terms of ambient dose equivalent. The paper describes in detail the detectors employed in the experiment, followed by a discussion of the results. A comparison is also made with the H*(10) values predicted by the Monte Carlo simulations and those measured by the BSS systems.