[ RadSafe ] Regulating material activated in a non-medical/research linea...

[JPreisig at aol.com]

Radsafe:
 
      Don't know much about the NRC etc.  regulations.  I suspect activated 
materials will be fairly short lived,  thereby decaying away fairly 
quickly.  See Patterson and Thomas's book on  Accelerator Health Physics, if one 
can even find a copy of this book these  days.  Also see Cossairt's 
Accelerator Health Physics course  notes.  There is also a book specifically written 
about activated  materials---the reference is in Patterson and Thomas.
 
      One could probably measure actual radiation  "fields" inside 
shielding using pieces of plastic, chunks of carbon. plastic  scintillators etc.  
See Patterson and Thomas.
 
      Once the accelerator is shut off, one can  measure activation 
radiation using a teletector detector and make measurements  as a function of time. 
 Perhaps one could also place one or more radiation  detectors into the 
shielded area, and start to turn on the detectors once the  accelerator is 
turned off.  You would probably need a power cable and an  electronics cable 
which would bring the counting results to a person or  computer/MCA outside of 
the shielding. 
 
      One might also activate pieces of plastic  inside the shielding, and 
perhaps have the plastic pieces attached to strings  and the plastic pieces 
could be dragged out of the shielded area and  counted.   BE CAREFUL --- 
activated plastic, carbon chunks, plastic  scintillators may be hot, 
radiologically speaking.
If one is using a plastic scintillator to find neutron flux densities from  
20 MeV to 400 MeV or so (an n.2n reaction) the plastic scintillator should 
be  placed in a shielded container while being transported to the counting  
location.
 
      Perhaps someone else on Radsafe can tell you  about the relevant NRC 
etc. regulations.
 
 
     Joe Preisig
 
 
     



In a message dated 11/7/2014 4:20:47 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
mary.donahue.2 at us.af.mil writes:

What is  the NRC policy/regulation  on material that becomes activated as a 
result  of the nuclear interactions from a nonmedical/research  linear  
accelerator? The material is not meant to be used or distributed for its  
radiological properties. This is on a federal facility so not concerned about  
agreement state regulations on NARM.  I have seen some NUREGs but they  are 
several years old. 

Mary  Donahue

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