Improving the efficiency of vehicle screening during a nuclear emergency using portable radiation portal monitors, 1; Time and manpower savings expected from simultaneous screening of tires and wiper area

Kawasaki, Kohei*; Hiraoka, Hirokazu  ; Ezaki, Iwao*; Kameda, Shuji*; Kimura, Masanori ; Saito, Shota 

In the current contamination screening plan, the vehicle's tires are measured using a portable radiation portal monitor, while wiper area is measured by an inspector using a survey meter. These two measurements confirm that contamination levels are below the screening thresholds. However, if both areas could be screened simultaneously using the portal monitor, it would improve the efficiency of the screening process. In this study, the degree of efficiency that can be expected from simultaneous screening by the portal monitor was verified through simulated screening using actual vehicles. The results showed that this screening method can contribute to a 9.4 second time reduction, from an average of 29.5 seconds to 20.1 seconds per vehicle, and a reduction of two inspectors per lane.