Laser illuminated etched track scattering (LITES) dosimetry system

Operational specifications of the laser illuminated track etch scattering dosemeter reader

The personnel dosimetry operations team at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has accepted the laser illuminated track etch scattering (LITES) dosemeter reader into its suite of radiation dose measurement instruments. The LITES instrument transmits coherent light from a He-Ne laser through the pertinent track etch foil and a photodiode measures the amount of light scattered by the etched tracks. A small beam stop blocks the main laser light, while a lens refocuses the scattered light into the photodiode. Three stepper motors in the current LITES system are used to position a carousel that holds 36 track etch dosemeters (TEDs). Preliminary work with the LITES system demonstrated the device had a linear response in counting foils subjected to exposures up to 50 mSv (5.0 rem). The United States Department of Energy requires that the annual general employee dose not exceed 50 mSv (5.0 rem). On a regular basis, LANL uses the Autoscan-60 reader system (Thermo Electron Corp.) for counting track etch dosemeters. However, LANL uses a 15 h etch process for CR-39 dosemeters, and this produces more and larger track etch pits than the 6 h etch used by many institutions. Therefore, LANL only uses the Autoscan-60 for measuring neutron dose equivalent up to exposure levels of approximately 3 mSv (300 mrem). The LITES system has a measured lower limit of detection of approximately 0.6 mSv (60 mrem), and it has a correlation coefficient of R (2) = 0.99 over an exposure range up to 500 mSv (50.0 rem). A series of blind studies were done using three methods: the Autoscan-60 system, manual counting by optical microscope and the LITES instrument. A collection of track etch dosemeters of unknown neutron dose equivalent (NDE) were analysed using the three methods, and the performance coefficient (PC) was calculated when the NDE became known. The Autoscan-60 and optical microscope methods had a combined PC = 0.171, and the LITES instrument had a PC = 0.194, where a PC less than or equal to 0.300 is considered satisfactory.

Passive detectors for neutron personal dosimetry: state of the art

Passive, solid-state detectors still dominate the field of neutron personal dosimetry, mainly thanks to their low cost, high reliability and elevated throughput. However, the recent appearance in the market of several electronic personal dosemeters for neutrons presents a challenge to the exclusive use of passive systems for primary or official dosimetry. This scenario drives research and development activities on passive dosemeters towards systems offering greater accuracy of response and lower detection limits. In addition, further applications and properties of the passive detectors, which are not met by the electronic devices, are also being explored. In particular, extensive investigations are in progress on the use of solid-state detectors for aviation and space dosimetry, where high-energy neutron fields are encountered. The present situation is also stimulating an acceleration in the development of international standards on performance and test requirements for passive dosimetry systems, which can expedite significantly the implementation of techniques in commercial personal dosimetry services. Upcoming standards will cover thermoluminescence albedo dosemeters, etched-track detectors, superheated emulsions and direct ion storage chambers, attesting to the level of maturity reached by these techniques. This work reviews the developments in the field of passive neutron dosimetry emerged since the previous Neutron Dosimetry Symposium, reporting on the current status of the subject and indicating the direction of ongoing research.