Background correction method for portable thyroid dose monitor using gamma-ray spectrometer developed at JAEA in high dose rate environment

Tanimura, Yoshihiko; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Nishino, Sho; Takahashi, Masa

Radiation Measurements, 137, p.106389_1 - 106389_5, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2020.106389

A portable thyroid dose monitoring system has been developed at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to assess the thyroid equivalent dose for workers and members of the public in a high dose rate environment. The background (B.G.) photon correction is required for an accurate measurement in a high dose rate environment at an early stage after a nuclear accident. We developed the B.G. photon correction method using cylindrical PMMA phantoms.

Evaluation of oxidation efficiency of hydrophobic palladium catalyst for H monitoring in radioactive gaseous waste

Furutani, Misa; Kometani, Tatsunari; Nakagawa, Masahiro; Ueno, Yumi; Sato, Junya; Iwai, Yasunori*

Hoken Butsuri (Internet), 55(2), p.97 - 101, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.5453/jhps.55.97

Herein, an oxidation catalyst was introduced after heating it to 600C to oxidize tritium gas (HT) existing in exhaust into tritiated water vapor (HTO). This study aims to establish a safer H monitoring system by lowering the heating temperature required for the catalyst. In these experiments, which were conducted in the Nuclear Science Research Institute, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, cupric oxide, hydrophobic palladium/silicon dioxide (Pd/SiO), and platinum/aluminum oxide (Pt/AlO) catalysts were ventilated using standard hydrogen gas. After comparing the oxidation efficiency of each catalyst at different temperatures, we found that the hydrophobic Pd/SiO and Pt/AlO catalysts could oxidize HT into HTO at 25C.

Eye lens dosimetry for workers at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, 1; Laboratory study on the dosemeter position and the shielding effect of full face mask respirators

Hoshi, Katsuya; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Aoki, Katsunori; Tanimura, Yoshihiko; Tsujimura, Norio; Yokoyama, Sumi*

Radiation Measurements, 134, p.106304_1 - 106304_5, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2020.106304

In FY 2017, the Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) established the Radiation Safety Research Promotion Fund for funding projects on nuclear safety regulation, and adopted the two-year research project entitled "Study on standard eye lens monitoring, suitable dose management and radiation protection for nuclear and medical workers". The study is a two-phase study: a laboratory study on the eye lens dosemeter's characteristics to photons, and a field study executed at actual workplaces at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. This paper summarizes the results of the first-phase study, which was designed to clarify the eye lens dosemeter positioning and the shielding effect of full face mask respirators used at the station. No marked difference was observed in readings of the dosemeters attached on the different positions on the head phantom. Two types of full face mask respirators provided insignificant shielding effect for photons of 83 keV to 662 keV.

Experimental determination of anisotropic emission of neutrons from Cf neutron source with the spherical protection case

Kowatari, Munehiko; Nishino, Sho; Romallosa, K. M. D.*; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Tanimura, Yoshihiko; Oishi, Tetsuya

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 189(4), p.436 - 443, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncaa064

The anisotropic emission of neutrons from a cylindrical X1 Cf source with the spherical external casing was experimentally determined. The influence of metal materials and shapes of the external casing to the anisotropy factor, () was assessed by the Monte Carlo calculation, before performing the measurement. The results of the calculation result implied that light and spherical-shaped external casing decreases the anisotropic emission of neutrons from a cylindrical source and the nature of the material does not affect the anisotropic emission to a large extent. The experimental results obtained when a spherical-shaped aluminum protection case was employed also revealed that the anisotropy factor was close to 1.0 with a wide zenith angle range.

Exposure inhomogeneity from Am and Sr/Y sources in terms of the eye lens monitoring in the nuclear facilities

Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Kowatari, Munehiko

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 188(2), p.191 - 198, 2020/02

https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncz275

Corrigendum; Establishment of a low dose rate gamma ray calibration field for environmental radiation monitoring devices

Kowatari, Munehiko; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Nishino, Sho; Tanimura, Yoshihiko; Oishi, Tetsuya; Kessler, P.*; Neumaier, S.*; Rttger, A.*

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 186(4), P. 538, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncz164

In the original version of this article an error occurred in Table 5. In section (b), the unit Sv h has been amended to nSv h. The corrected table appears below. The author apologises for this error.

Quantitative estimation of exposure inhomogeneity in terms of eye lens and extremity monitoring for radiation workers in the nuclear industry

Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Kowatari, Munehiko; Hagiwara, Masayuki*; Nagaguro, Seiji*; Nakamura, Hajime*

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 184(2), p.179 - 188, 2019/08

https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncy197

Review of the performance of a car-borne survey system, KURAMA-II, used to measure the dose rate after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Tsuda, Shuichi; Tanigaki, Minoru*; Yoshida, Tadayoshi; Saito, Kimiaki

Hoshasen, 44(3), p.109 - 118, 2018/11

JAEA has started to perform dose rate monitoring using a car-borne survey system KURAMA to rapidly produce the dose rate mappings of the deposited radionuclides in the environment after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. KURAMA is a car-borne survey system developed by Kyoto University to perform dose rate monitoring in a wide area in detail with rapidity. By improving KURAMA with continuous dose rate monitoring, the 2nd generation of KURAMA (KURAMA-II) succeeded in downsizing, durability and automated transmission of data so that enable detailed dose rate mapping in wide area in shorter period of time. This paper reports the radiation characteristics and the simulation analysis of KURAMA-II on the special issue of Hoshasen, the journal of Ionization Radiation Division in the Japan society of applied physics.

Correction factors for attenuation and scattering of the wall of a cylindrical ionization chamber in the 6-7 MeV high-energy photon reference field

Kowatari, Munehiko; Zutz, H.*; Hupe, O.*

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 178(1), p.48 - 56, 2018/01

https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncx073

In high energy photon reference fields the value of the air kerma rate is determined by using ionization chambers. From the charge collected inside the ionization chamber the dose can be calculated using a set of calibration and correction factors according to ISO 4037-2. A crucial parameter is the correction for the attenuation and scattering of the primary radiation due to the chamber wall. This parameter can be determined using Monte Carlo calculations. The evaluation of the factor was performed for a commercially available ionization chamber of the type Victoreen 550-3 under different build-up conditions. The results were verified by measurements in the R-F high energy photon fields according to ISO 4037-1 at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).

Assessment of equivalent dose of the lens of the eyes and the extremities to workers under nonhomogeneous exposure situation in nuclear and accelerator facilities by means of measurements using a phantom coupled with Monte Carlo simulation

Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Hagiwara, Masayuki*; Kowatari, Munehiko; Nishino, Sho; Sanami, Toshiya*; Iwase, Hiroshi*

Proceedings of 14th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA-14), Vol.3 (Internet), p.1188 - 1195, 2017/11

http://www.irpa.net/docs/IRPA14%20Proceedings%20Volume%203.pdf

The equivalent doses to the lens of the eye and extremities for radiation workers should be assessed properly to ensure that the dose limits are not exceeded. Recently, the following two issues has pressed demand on more appropriate evaluation of the equivalent doses of the lens of the eye and extremity. One is the new occupational dose limit for the lens of the eye the ICRP recommended. The other is growing demand on handling of highly activated materials in the maintenance works of an accelerator and contaminated materials during the decommissioning works of nuclear facility, which increases the potential exposure risk to the extremities to a wider variety of radio-nuclides. Since the points to be assessed for the exposures to the lens of the eye and the extremities are apart from the trunk, the homogeneity of the radiation fields would be significantly impact on the assessment of these equivalent doses. However, there has been no sufficient and available method to identify the nonhomogeneous situations systematically in terms of the eye lens or extremity monitoring. The goal of this study is to provide the framework to identify the nonhomogeneous exposure situations. In order to fulfil this purpose, newly proposed indices to represent the homogeneity were calculated by Monte Carlo simulation incorporated with mathematical phantom, verifying the benchmark measurements. Important parameters that significantly impact on these indices were also shown from the various trials of calculations of homogeneity indices.