ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING WITH PASSIVE DETECTORS AT CTN IN PORTUGAL

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Radiation Protection
• Nuclear Engineering

Background:

• Passive detectors are crucial for long-term environmental radiation monitoring.
• Accurate dose assessment requires understanding detector properties and environmental factors.
• Campus Tecnológico e Nuclear (CTN) requires robust methods for environmental surveillance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the established methods for environmental dose assessment at CTN.
• To detail the use of LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD-100) passive detectors for this purpose.
• To outline the calculation of ambient dose equivalent rate.

Main Methods:

• Utilized LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD-100) detectors in Harshaw holders.
• Deployed detectors at four distinct locations for quarterly exchange.
• Conducted initial measurements to determine optimal exposure intervals and fading factors.

Main Results:

• Established a stable measurement interval for TLD-100 detectors.
• Quantified the fading factor for the detectors under study conditions.
• Developed a calculation method for ambient dose equivalent rate assessment.

Conclusions:

• The presented methods provide a reliable approach for environmental dose assessment at CTN.
• Quarterly monitoring with TLD-100 detectors is effective for evaluating ambient dose equivalent rates.
• The study contributes to the understanding of passive dosimetry in environmental radiation monitoring.