Ambient dose equivalent rate and soil contamination density with 137Cs in kitchen gardens in settlements of the Bryansk region, Russia in 2020–2021

The article provides results of application of the field (in situ) gamma spectrometry method for carrying out mass monitoring measurements of ambient dose equivalent rate and soil contamination density with 137Cs in kitchen garden plots located in the zone of radioactive contamination after the Chernobyl accident. In 2020 and 2021, 115 private farmsteads in 46 settlements of the Bryansk region were surveyed. At the time of the survey, the officially established average density of soil contamination with 137Cs in the settlements ranged from 27 to 533 kBq/m2 . The field spectra were measured using a portable scintillation gamma-spectrometer-dosimeter. Results of the field measurements and subsequent calculations of soil contamination density with 137Cs in the kitchen gardens were in good agreement with official data on the average soil contamination density with 137Cs in the surveyed settlements. The mean value of the ratio of the experimental data to the official data was 1.04. Individual values of experimental data deviated from corresponding official values by no more than two times. The use of the gamma spectrometry method in situ made it possible: 1) to determine separately values of the ambient dose equivalent rate from 137Cs and from natural radionuclides in the soil, and 2) to estimate the effective external doses to a person who worked in the kitchen gardens. The measured values of ambient dose equivalent rate varied from 17 to 53 nSv/h (mean ± standard deviation = 35 ± 9 nSv/h) for natural radionuclides and from 8 to 432 nSv/h (mean ± standard deviation = 125 ± 91 nSv/h) for 137Cs. The ambient dose equivalent rate from 137Cs normalized to the soil contamination density with 137Cs in the same kitchen garden was in the range of 0.41–0.84 (nSv/h)/(kBq/m2 ) with a mean value of 0.55 (nSv/h)/(kBq/m2 ). If a person stayed in kitchen garden for 840 hours per year, the estimated effective external doses from natural radionuclides and 137Cs were respectively in the range of 0.008–0.025 mSv/year and 0.004–0.20 mSv/year.

Correction Coefficients for Measuring the Ambient Dose Equivalent Rate of Neutrons

Calculations of the response for the most widely used neutron dosimeters at the Russian nuclear power plant (NPP) have been performed. It is shown that in some cases it is necessary to introduce a correction for the measured value of the ambient dose equivalent rate (AEDR). The experimentally tested values of the correction for measuring AEDR in the containment rooms of NPP with VVER-1200 are given.

Dosimetry and radioprotection evaluations of very high energy electron beams

Very high energy electrons (VHEEs) represent a promising alternative for the treatment of deep-seated tumors over conventional radiotherapy (RT), owing to their favourable dosimetric characteristics. Given the high energy of the electrons, one of the concerns has been the production of photoneutrons. In this article we explore the consequence, in terms of neutron yield in a water phantom, of using a typical electron applicator in conjunction with a 2 GeV and 200 MeV VHEE beam. Additionally, we evaluate the resulting ambient neutron dose equivalent at various locations between the phantom and a concrete wall. Through Monte Carlo (MC) simulations it was found that an applicator acts to reduce the depth of the dose build-up region, giving rise to lower exit doses but higher entrance doses. Furthermore, neutrons are injected into the entrance region of the phantom. The highest dose equivalent found was approximately 1.7 mSv/Gy in the vicinity of the concrete wall. Nevertheless, we concluded that configurations of VHEEs studied in this article are similar to conventional proton therapy treatments in terms of their neutron yield and ambient dose equivalent. Therefore, a clinical implementation of VHEEs would likely not warrant additional radioprotection safeguards compared to conventional RT treatments.

Development of neutron survey meter using prescila neutron probe

This paper presents the design and validation of a neutron survey meter. The meter consists of a PRESCILA neutron probe (with good sensitivity, directional response, gamma rejection, and enhanced high-energy response to 20 MeV) and an electrometer developed at Non-Destructive Evaluation center. The homogeneity response of the PRESCILA neutron probe was investigated as a function of distances from the 241Am - 9Be source in order to obtain the appropriate distance for accurate count-rate measurements using the neutron survey meter. A system consists of the PRESCILA neutron probe and the Ludlum Model 2326 electrometer was then used for measuring neutron ambient dose equivalent rates in the range from 50 cm to 200 cm with the step of 25 cm. The relationship between the count-rates and neutron dose equivalent rates (in the distance ranged from 50 to 200 cm) were deduced to validate the proper operation of the neutron survey meter.

Characterization of an ²⁴¹Am-Be neutron irradiation facility at Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology

An automated panoramic irradiator with a 241Am-Be neutron source of 5 Ci is installed in a bunker-type medium room at the Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INST) for calibration of neutron devices. Bonner Sphere Spectrometer (BSS) formed by 6 spheres plus bare detector, with cylindrical, almost point like, 6LiI(Eu) scintillator and 2 different spectral unfolding FRUIT and BUNKIUT codes are used to characterize the neutron field in different measurement points along the irradiation bench. The neutron field is also simulated by MCNP5 software and compared with measurements performed by the BSS. The paper shows the main results obtained in terms of neutron spectra at fixed distances from the source as well as their neutron fluence rate (totaland direct) and ambient dose equivalent rate. These values measured by the BSS with two unfolding FRUIT and BUNKIUT codes are in good agreement with that of simulated by MCNP5 within 10%.

Development of a neutron detector for radiation protection monitoring

The paper presents the results of the development of a neutron detector for radiation protection purposes. Monte Carlo simulations, using MCNP5 code, were performed to optimize the configuration of the neutron detector. The developed detector consists of a 3He proportional counter embedded in a multi-layer moderator made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and Cadmium. The characteristics of the developed neutron detector including neutron fluence response and ambient dose equivalent response were calculated, analyzed and compared with those from other neutron survey meters. The simulation model and computed results were assessed through experimental measurements at the Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory of the Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INST). A good agreement between the simulated and experimental results was observed within 9.3% for 241Am-Be source and four simulated workplace neutron fields.

Neutron dosimetry at workplaces of JC “Institute of Nuclear Materials”

If the neutron fields at personnel workplaces differ from the neutron fields in which individual dosimeters are verified, there is a possibility of additional errors in the assessment of such dosimetric quantities as ambient dose equivalent, individual dose equivalent or effective dose. To take into account the energy distribution of the neutron radiation flux density and the geometry of the irradiation of workers, it is necessary to study the characteristics of the fields of neutron radiation at the workplaces of the personnel. In order to obtain conditionally true levels of personnel exposure to neutron radiation at nuclear facilities, studies of the energy and angular distribution of the neutron radiation flux density were carried out at the workplaces of the Institute of Reactor Materials JSC, Zarechny. The energy distribution of the neutron radiation flux density was obtained using an MKS-AT1117M multi-sphere dosimeter-radiometer with a BDKN-06 detection unit and a set of polyethylene spheres-moderators. The angular distribution of the neutron radiation flux density was estimated from the results of measurements of the accumulated dose of neutron radiation by individual thermoluminescent dosimeters placed on four vertical planes of a heterogeneous human phantom. The results of measurements of the energy and angular distribution of the neutron radiation flux density made it possible to estimate the conditionally true values of the ambient and individual dose equivalents. The calculated conventionally true values differ from the measured values from 0.7 to 8.9 times for the ambient dose equivalent and from 6 to 50 times for the individual dose equivalent. In order to reduce the error in assessing the effective dose of personnel using personal dosimeters, correction factors were determined. For different workplaces and types of personal dosimeters, correction factors are in the range of values from 0.02 to 0.16.