Re: Detectors, humidity, etc.

[John_Sukosky@DOM.COM]

Dr. Preisig,



I agree with you 100% when you say:  "first thing to do is get your

environmental control systems fixed, and NOW...".  That's the very first

thing we attempted to do.  But this isn't Brookhaven Lab, we are a

commercial power station.  That means that if the problem doesn't have an

immediate impact on shutting down the plant, we get put on a list.  The

most we can do is lobby and complain until the powers to be get tired of

hearing about it and eventually get it fixed.  Here's how it was explained

to me:



In your own home, you have an endless list of things that break, get old,

need replacement, need improvements made, etc.  Since you have a limited

income, you don't go out and fix/replace/improve everything at once.  You

establish priorities based on the item's cost and importance.  If you

fix/replace/improve everything at once then you go bankrupt.  On the other

hand, if you don't fix/replace/improve anything, then hazards are created

which can cause unsafe conditions for your family and other equipment in

your home.  So you have to strike a balance with what you fix and when you

fix it, both at home and at a commercial power plant.  Therefore, the

bottom line is that your environmental controls system will eventually get

fixed, but it not going to get fixed as soon as you'd like.



That's why I put out the Radsafe question.  If I can understand the

problem, there may be something I can do in the meantime to mitigate it.

Even if I can't mitigate the problem, it will greatly help the operation of

our program if I can at least explain it to our own and outside auditors,

regulators and evaluators.



Thanks again for sharing your experiences, insights and ideas on this

problem.  It's been very helpful.



John M. Sukosky, CHP

Dominion

Surry Power Station

(757)-365-2594 (Tieline: 8-798-2594)







                                                                                                                                            

                      JPreisig@AOL.COM                                                                                                      

                      Sent by:                      To:       radsafe@list.Vanderbilt.Edu                                                   

                      owner-radsafe@list.Van        cc:                                                                                     

                      derbilt.Edu                   Subject:  Detectors, humidity, etc.                                                     

                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                            

                      05/27/04 11:47 PM                                                                                                     

                      Please respond to                                                                                                     

                      JPreisig                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                            









Hmmmmm,



    This is from:     jpreisig@aol.com    .



     Hi Radsafers,



           This is for the person having trouble with his/her counting

systems,

     due to failure of his/her environmental (temperature, etc.) control

     systems.  The first thing to do is get your environmental control

systems

     fixed, and NOW.  You can read your counting system operating manuals,

     and they might suggest how your counting systems behave at various

     temperatures and humidity values.  I remember trying to calibrate my

     neutron multisphere spectrometer at Brookhaven Lab, without paying

much

     attention to room temperature.  It doesn't work.  Calibrate at a usual



     (and repeatable) room temperature and you might also want to

     calibrate at the same time each day.



           As for winter versus summer readings, well, radon is "frozen" in

the

     ground in winter and emanates more freely in spring, summer and fall.

     This could affect your calibrations.  A reference to this seasonal

radon

      effect is given in an older version of Cember's Health Physics book.

      I think the original article reference is given there also.



           I know you aren't doing neutron system calibrations, but various



     articles by Eisenhauer and Schwartz (NBS/NIST) and Hunt (England)

     discuss air-scattering effects during calibrations.  One such article

is

     in Health Physics (the journal).



           The fun part about doing neutron calibrations at Brookhaven (in

the

     former Camp Upton military morgue???) is that one will get the

     counting system working well in the environmentally controlled

     calibration building, and then one drags the counting system to

     the AGS (Alternating Gradient Synchrotron --- a proton accelerator)

     and expects it to work well there.  Unfortunately, it is sweaty, humid



     and nasty over at the AGS (with some cooling with the building doors

     open).  Then some yahoo (my former boss there???) expects you

     to get results at the 5% or less level.  5% to 10 % is doing pretty

well,

     I think.  What a hoot!!!!



          Good luck with your counting work.  FIX your environmental

control

     systems.



          On a lighter note, the Los Alamos Lab web-site has some

discussion

     of a satellite being built by the USA, with nuclear reactor

propulsion.

     Visit their web-site???



      Take Care.  Enjoy the Olympics.               Joseph R. Preisig,

Ph.D.















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