Characterization of Thermoluminescent Dosimeters for Neutron Dosimetry at High Altitudes.

Neutrons constitute a significant component of the secondary cosmic rays and are one of the most important contributors to natural cosmic ray radiation background dose. The study of the cosmic ray neutrons' contribution to the dose equivalent received by humans is an interesting and challenging task for the scientific community. In addition, international regulations demand assessing the biological risk due to radiation exposure for both workers and the general population. Because the dose rate due to cosmic radiation increases significantly with altitude, the objective of this work was to characterize the thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLDs) from the perspective of exposing them at high altitudes for longtime neutron dose monitoring. The pair of TLD-700 and TLD-600 is amply used to obtain the information on gamma and neutron dose in mixed neutron-gamma fields due to the present difference in 6Li isotope concentration. A thermoluminescence dosimeter system based on pair of TLD-600/700 was characterized to enable it for neutron dosimetry in the thermal energy range. The system was calibrated in terms of neutron ambient dose equivalent in an experimental setup using a 241Am-B radionuclide neutron source coated by a moderator material, polyethylene, creating a thermalized neutron field. Afterward, the pair of TLD-600/700 was exposed at the CERN-EU High-Energy Reference Field (CERF) facility in Geneva, which delivers a neutron field with a spectrum similar to that of secondary cosmic rays. The dosimetric system provided a dose value comparable with the calculated one demonstrating a good performance for neutron dosimetry.

Validation of an indium-based multi-shell neutron spectrometer.

A multi-shell neutron spectrometer with indium foil detector (In-MuNS) was developed to evaluate intense neutron fields that are generated in medical accelerators. The response matrix of this new spectrometer was calculated from 1 meV to 100 MeV using MCNP5 v.1.6 with ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data. An experiment with a252Cf source with known emission rate was performed to validate the computational model of the spectrometer. This included detailed modelling of the irradiation room to evaluate the room-scattered field. The contribution of scattered neutrons to the induced activity in the foil reached 30% for the smallest sphere configuration (diameter 5.0 cm). The quotient between the experimental and simulated foil activity remained satisfactorily constant (1.03±0.04) as the sphere diameter varied, demonstrating the validity of the simulation model. In-MuNS proved to be a portable and compact alternative to conventional Bonner spheres.

REVISION OF ISO 8529-REFERENCE NEUTRON RADIATIONS.

ISO Standard 8529, on Reference neutron radiations, is due for revision. This paper covers proposed changes to Part 1 which dates from 2001. The changes are mainly designed to improve the data on radionuclide source neutron spectra, but also include options for modifying the content, e.g. the section on reactor filtered beams.

Neutron spectrometry with Bonner Spheres for area monitoring in particle accelerators.

Selecting the instruments to determine the operational quantities in the neutron fields produced by particle accelerators involves a combination of aspects, which is peculiar to these environments: the energy distribution of the neutron field, the continuous or pulsed time structure of the beam, the presence of other radiations to which the neutron instruments could have significant response and the large variability in the dose rate, which can be observed when moving from areas near the beam line to free-access areas. The use of spectrometric techniques in support of traditional instruments is highly recommended to improve the accuracy of dosimetric evaluations. The multi-sphere or Bonner Sphere Spectrometer (BSS) is certainly the most used device, due to characteristics such as the wide energy range, large variety of active and passive detectors suited for different workplaces, good photon discrimination and the simple signal management. Disadvantages are the poor energy resolution, weight and need to sequentially irradiate the spheres, leading to usually long measurement sessions. Moreover, complex unfolding analyses are needed to obtain the neutron spectra. This work is an overview of the BSS for area monitoring in particle accelerators.

Analysis of computational problems expressing the overall uncertainties: photons, neutrons and electrons.

In the frame of the EU Coordination Action CONRAD (coordinated network for radiation dosimetry), WP4 was dedicated to work on computational dosimetry with an action entitled 'Uncertainty assessment in computational dosimetry: an intercomparison of approaches'. Participants attempted one or more of eight problems. This paper presents the results from problems 4-8-dealing with the overall uncertainty budget estimate; a short overview of each problem is presented together with a discussion of the most significant results and conclusions. The scope of the problems discussed here are: the study of a (137)Cs calibration irradiator; the manganese bath technique; the iron sphere experiment using neutron time-of-flight technique; the energy response of a RADFET detector and finally the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis for the recoil-proton telescope discussed in the companion paper.

Investigation of induced radioactivity in the Linac-Adone accelerator complex for the management of the decommissioned material.

The LINAC-ADONE accelerator complex of the INFN-LNF Frascati National Laboratories, operating for 27 y prior to the commissioning of DAPhiNE, was dismantled in 1993. The scraps resulting from the decommissioning of LINAC-ADPhiNE have been temporarily stored in the same Frascati laboratory, waiting for definitive disposal. Relying on recommendations of the IAEA, European Commission and Italian committees, an experimental characterization study of the LNF repository was performed. The main objective was a classification of the scraps on the basis of internationally recognized "clearance levels," which are 0.1 Bq g(-1) for the isotopes of interest for this work. Secondly, a measurement of the materials suspected to be above 0.1 Bq g(-1) was planned. Activation isotopes were expected from the aluminum, copper, steel, and iron of the LINAC and the ADONE ring sections. For screening purposes, the repository area has been divided into zones, where in-situ measurements with a portable HP-Ge detector have been performed. In addition, small samples have been cut from a representative number of pieces, and accurate laboratory measurements have been made with a low background HP-Ge spectrometer. The experimental results are in good agreement with other studies and show that a large part of the material is below the mentioned specific activity level.