Calculation of neutron fluence-to-dose conversion factors for extremities

Technical Report · Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:10160200

Stewart, R D; Harty, R; McDonald, J C; Tanner, J E

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory is developing a standard for the performance testing of personnel extremity dosimeters for the US Department of Energy. Part of this effort requires the calculation of neutron fluence-to-dose conversion factors for finger and wrist extremities. This study focuses on conversion factors for two types of extremity models: namely the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom (as specified in the draft standard for performance testing of extremity dosimeters) and more realistic extremity models composed of tissue-and-bone. Calculations for each type of model are based on both bare and D{sub 2}O-moderated {sup 252}Cf sources. The results are then tabulated and compared with whole-body conversion factors. More appropriate energy-averaged quality factors for the extremity models have also been computed from the neutron fluence in 50 equally spaced energy bins with energies from 2.53 {times} 10{sup {minus}8} to 15 MeV. Tabulated results show that conversion factors for both types of extremity phantom are 15 to 30% lower than the corresponcung whole-body phantom conversion factors for {sup 252}Cf neutron sources. This difference in extremity and whole-body conversion factors is attributable to the proportionally smaller amount of back-scattering that occurs in the extremity phantoms compared with whole-body phantoms.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• OSTI ID: 10160200
• Report Number(s): DOE/EH-0318; PNL-SA-20504; ON: DE93013939; NC: NONE; TRN: 93:016197
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: Apr 1993
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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