Absorbed dose from traversing spherically symmetric, Gaussian radioactive clouds

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1999 · Health Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-199906000-00007· OSTI ID:6407558

Thompson, J M ^[1]; Poston, J W ^[2]

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1. Westinghouse Safety Management Solutions, Inc., Aiken, SC (United States)
2. Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering

If a large radioactive cloud is produced, sampling may require that an airplane traverse the cloud. A method to predict the absorbed dose to the aircrew from penetrating the radioactive cloud is needed. Dose rates throughout spherically symmetric Gaussian clouds of various sizes, and the absorbed doses from traversing the clouds, were calculated. Cloud size is a dominant parameter causing dose to vary by orders of magnitude for a given dose rate measured at some distance. A method to determine cloud size, based on dose rate readings at two or more distances from the cloud center, was developed. This method, however, failed to resolve the smallest cloud sizes from measurements made at 1,000 m to 2,000 m from the cloud center.

• OSTI ID: 6407558
• Journal Information: Health Physics, Vol. 76:6; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
DOSE RATES
GAUSSIAN PROCESSES
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
AEROSOLS
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DOSES
MONITORING
SOLS
540130* - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560101 - Biomedical Sciences
Applied Studies- Radiation Effects- Dosimetry & Monitoring- (1992-)