Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

11:27
Synthesis and Characterization of Functionalized Metal-organic Frameworks
Published on: September 5, 2014
A time-dependent dose model for glovebox processing of fissile material
H Omar Wooten1, Donald J Dudziak, Nolan E Hertel
1Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of California, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA. hasani@lanl.gov
Radiation Protection Dosimetry
|December 31, 2005
Summary
A new modeling system, PANDEMONIUM, estimates radiation dose rates from neutrons and photons in plutonium facilities. It offers quick, accurate assessments for complex scenarios, improving safety modeling.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear engineering
- Radiation physics
- Computational modeling
Background:
- Accurate modeling of radiation fields is crucial for nuclear facility safety.
- Conventional methods for dose rate calculations can be impractical or costly for complex scenarios.
- High-intensity neutral particle radiation poses significant risks in plutonium processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a new modeling system, PANDEMONIUM, for calculating effective dose rates.
- To introduce time-dependent neutronics and transient positions for enhanced accuracy.
- To provide a practical and cost-effective solution for radiation field assessment.
Main Methods:
- Development of the PANDEMONIUM code for simulating neutron and photon radiation.
- Implementation of time-dependent neutronics for source multiplication.
- Inclusion of transient source and detector positions for dynamic modeling.
- Extension of the energy range to incorporate prompt-fission photons.
Main Results:
- The PANDEMONIUM code calculates external effective dose rates from neutrons and photons.
- The system handles time-dependent neutronics and transient source/detector positions.
- The code provides quick and acceptably accurate total effective dose estimates.
- The extended energy range accounts for prompt-fission photons.
Conclusions:
- PANDEMONIUM offers a valuable tool for assessing radiation fields in industrial facilities.
- The code provides a practical alternative to conventional, more costly modeling methods.
- Enhanced modeling capabilities improve the accuracy and applicability of dose rate estimations.
Related Concept Videos
Nuclear Fission
Many heavier elements with smaller binding energies per nucleon can decompose into more stable elements that have intermediate mass numbers and larger binding energies per nucleon—that is, mass numbers and binding energies per nucleon that are closer to the “peak” of the binding energy graph near 56. Sometimes neutrons are also produced. This decomposition of a large nucleus into smaller pieces is called fission. The breaking is rather random with the formation of a large number of different...
Biological Effects of Radiation
All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they produce ions...

