Analysis of influence of indoor radiation dose rates on existence of neighboring buildings using reflection boundary

Furuta, Takuya   ; Takahashi, Fumiaki  

Precise radiation dose assessment for residents is desired for radiation protection under contaminated environment due to the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Evaluation of dose rates inside houses is important for this assessment as well as those outside houses by monitoring because people stays inside houses for a large part of a day. We have studied radiation dose reduction inside buildings standing on isolated flat field as the typical data. However, radiation dose reduction for houses in urban area may be different from that for isolated houses because of influence of neighboring buildings. We therefore simulated a situation of infinitely aligned houses virtually by using reflection walls placed at the boundary of geometry containing a house. The radiation dose rate inside this house was computed by transporting radiations using PHITS. We found that dose rates per unit radiation concentration inside the house was lowered as the distance between houses was reduced because of shielding effect by neighboring houses and reduction of radiation source contributed to the dose rate.