Eighteenth nuclear accident dosimetry intercomparison study: August 10-14, 1981

Technical Report · Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6941148· OSTI ID:6941148

Swaja, R. E.; Sims, C. S.; Greene, R. T.

The Eighteenth Nuclear Accident Dosimetry Intercomparison Study was conducted August 10-14, 1981, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Nuclear criticality accidents with three different neutron and gamma ray energy spectra were simulated by operating the Health Physics Research Reactor in the pulse mode. Participants from 13 organizations exposed dosimeters set up as area monitors and mounted on phantoms for personnel monitoring. Analysis of experimental results showed that about 56% of the reported neutron doses measured using foil activation, thermoluminescent, or sodium activation methods and about 53% of the gamma doses measured using thermoluminescent methods met nuclear accident dosimetry guidelines which suggest accuracies of +- 25% for neutron dose and +- 20% for gamma dose. The greatest difficulties in measuring accident doses occurred in radiation fields with large fractions of low energy neutrons and a high gamma component (> 40%). Results of this study indicate that continued accident dosimetry intercomparisons are necessary to test dosimetry systems and training programs are needed to improve the technical competence of evaluating personnel.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6941148
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-8281; ON: DE83003384
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
560161* -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACCIDENTS
ACCURACY
ACTIVATION DETECTORS
AIR COOLED REACTORS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CRITICALITY
DATA
DOSEMETERS
DOSES
DOSIMETRY
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FAST REACTORS
GAMMA DOSIMETRY
GAS COOLED REACTORS
HPRR REACTOR
INFORMATION
LUMINESCENT DOSEMETERS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MOCKUP
NEUTRON DETECTORS
NEUTRON DOSIMETRY
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
NUMERICAL DATA
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PHANTOMS
POWER PLANTS
PULSED REACTORS
RADIATION ACCIDENTS
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION DOSES
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SIMULATION
STRUCTURAL MODELS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
THERMOLUMINESCENT DOSEMETERS