Summary of the Savannah River Site Criticality Dosimetry Program Page: 3 of 16
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ABSTRACT
The mission of the Savannah River Site (SRS) includes working with fissionable materials.
A program is in place, therefore, to assess neutron and gamma doses to individuals in the
event of a criticality accident at SRS. The program consists of a method to quickly screen
for potentially exposed personnel, a method to provide early but preliminary dose
estimates, and a nuclear accident dosimeter and assay procedure to enable final dose
estimates.
INTRODUCTION
The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a 300 square mile reservation operated for the United
States Department of Energy by the Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC). It
is located in the State of South Carolina, in the southeastern United States, and adjacent to
the Savannah River. It is about 25 miles from the city of Augusta, and about 125 miles
from the city of Savannah.
SRS includes the facilities necessary to produce nuclear materials for defense purposes,
such as plutonium and tritium. Major facilities include a fuel fabrication facility, heavy
water reactors, chemical separations facilities, waste management facilities, and adjunct
support and applied research facilities. A major new facility is being completed to vitrify
highly radioactive liquid wastes generated over the past 40 years.
The mission of SRS includes handling and working with fissionable materials. While the
probability of a criticality accident at SRS is kept small by engineered and administrative
controls, a criticality dosimetry program has long been in place to enable the assessment of
neutron and gamma doses to personnel in the event of a criticality accident at SRS. Over
the years, the program has been improved and thoroughly tested.
The SRS Criticality Dosimetry Program consists of three components:
(1) A field method for screening all potentially exposed personnel.
(2) A method for quick approximations of dose.
(3) A nuclear accident dosimeter capable of providing neutron doses in various energy
ranges with acceptable accuracy.
This report summarizes the SRS Criticality Dosimetry Program.
DISCUSSION
Measurement of radiation doses resulting from a criticality accident cannot always be
readily accomplished by evaluation of neutron and gamma dosimeters used for routine
occupational dose measurement. Radiation levels from a criticality accident may well
exceed the measurement capability of such dosimeters. Also, most neutron dosimeters
used for routine occupational exposures do not provide response in different energy levels,
their responses are energy dependent, and the calibration of such neutron dosimeters
usually incorporates neutron Quality Factors for occupational exposures, which are not
applicable for the prompt neutrons resulting from a criticality accident. Therefore, nuclear
accident dosimeters are used in facilities containing fissionable materials.
The nuclear accident dosimeter in use at SRS is the Criticality Neutron Dosimeter (CND).
The CND was originally developed at SRS and described by J. E. Hoy in 1960.1 The
CND and the SRS Criticality Dosimetry program have been substantially refined over the
years, and are described in detail in a 1990 technical report by C. N. Wright.2 A procedure1
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Crase, K. W. Summary of the Savannah River Site Criticality Dosimetry Program, article, February 1, 1993; Aiken, South Carolina. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1318010/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.