CRITICALITY ACCIDENT DOSIMETRY WITH ESR SPECTROSCOPY

The suitability of the ESR alanine and sugar detectors for criticality accident dosimetry was experimentally investigated during an intercom parison of dosimetry techniques. Tests were performed irradiating dete ctors both free-in-air and on-phantom during controlled criticality ex cursions at the SILENE reactor in Valduc, France. Several grays of abs orbed dose Were imparted in neutron gamma-ray fields of various relati ve intensities and spectral distributions. Analysed results confirmed the potential of these systems which can immediately provide an acute dose assessment with an average underestimate of 30% in the various fi elds. This performance allows for the Screening of severely exposed in dividuals and meets the IAEA recommendations on the early estimate Of accident absorbed doses. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd