RE: More on Revigator

["Charris, Rafael G. SSgt" <charrisr@51mdg.osan.af.mil>]

Maybe YOU could help me!

I've been trying to post a question to radsafers and e-mail doesnt seem
to get through except on reply mode.  
Would the relative beta energy response from an R0-3 allow you to
estimate dose from beta?  I have seen a few sources giving a beta energy
response factor of 1 to 1.4 from ion chambers to beta at certain
distances (differing responses from various radionuclides).

Have any idea of other references on studies on relative beta energy
response for ion chambers from Sr-90/Y-90?

Any help would be appreciated.

CharrisR@51mdg.osan.af.mil
> ----------
> From: 	rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu[SMTP:rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu]
> Sent: 	Thursday, June 12, 1997 9:38 AM
> To: 	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: 	Re: More on Revigator
> 
> I would be very cautious about making an open window measurement
> inside a
> Revigator to measure exposure rate, as there is a large beta field
> which
> would give a spurious reading.  Indeed most of the dose rate in air
> inside
> the Revigator is from beta.  Remeber, it is the beta emitting
> daughters that
> produce most of the external dose from the U-238 decay chain. 
> 
> Ron Kathren, CHP
> 
>  
> 
>  -- >
> >     About that Revigator:
> >     Last year the National Atomic Museum at KAFB acquired one of
> these 
> >     former health wonders and quite an in-depth study of it was
> performed.
> >     Our Revigator has removable contamination on the interior. In
> fact 
> >     some of the ore has flaked off and is now laying on the bottom.
> In 
> >     short it was determined, by a couple of different methods, that
> it 
> >     contained approx. 28uci of U-238, the max exposure rate was 9.0
> mR/hr 
> >     inside the Revigator using a RO-3C open window.  The Revigator
> was 
> >     also placed inside a 55 gal. drum with an E-PERM.  This was done
> to 
> >     measure the Radon build up using the known volume of the drum to
> 
> >     calculate the concentration of Radium.
> >     As I said this is a very short summary.  The study was actually
> done 
> >     by Mike Enghauser, and if anyone currently knows how to reach
> him 
> >     please let me know by private e-mail.
> >     The Revigator will soon be on display at the museum once we take
> care 
> >     of the loose contamination on the inside.
> >     
> >     ""Any expressed opinions are my own fault and not that of my 
> >     employer.""
> >     
> >     Kevin Rolfe RCT
> >     SNL/NM
> >     kdrolfe@sandia.gov
> >     
> >
> >
>