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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

An automatic locating and data logging system for radiological walkover surveys

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7087717

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed an Ultrasonic Ranging and Data System (USRADS) to track a radiation surveyor in the field, to log his instrument's reading automatically, and to provide tabular and graphical data display in the field or in the office. Once each second, USRADS computes the position of the radiation surveyor by using the time-of-flight of an ultrasonic chirp, emitted by a transducer carried in a backpack, to stationary receivers deployed in the field. When the ultrasonic transducer is pulsed, a microprocessor in the backpack radios the start time and survey instrument's reading to the master receiver at the base station (a van or truck). A portable computer connected to the master receiver plots the surveyor's position on the display, and stores his position and instrument reading. The CHEMRAD Corporation has just completed a survey of the ORNL main plant area using two radiation survey instruments simultaneously: a ratemeter connected to a NaI crystal that is swung in a arc near the ground, to look for surface contamination; and a small pressurized ionization chamber (PIC), attached to the backpack frame at a height of 3 ft, to measure the exposure rate. 3 refs., 5 figs.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE/ER
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
7087717
Report Number(s):
CONF-9007106-34; ON: DE90014457
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English