Measurement of neutron and gamma radiation in a mixed field

This paper describes a study of dosimeters with a range of 0 to 0.2 mGy that were developed by the authors and built by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These instruments are a type of air-filled ion chamber that is self-reading by means of an internal carbon fiber electrometer. Two types of these dosimeters were constructed: one with an ion chamber wall made of a conductive hydrogenous material, and the other device made with a conductive wall lining of non-hydrogenous material. Both types of dosimeters have the same sensitivity for gamma radiation, but greatly different sensitivities for fast neutrons, thus making it possible to measure gamma radiation and neutron doses separately in a mixed radiation field. The results indicate that such pairs of dosimeters can be used for the first time to accurately monitor personnel for gamma ray and neutron doses in real time. Since the difference in neutron sensitivities is due to the properties of wall materials, periodic calibrations of the dosimeter system can be accomplished using only gamma rays after the material constants are measured. The absolute number of neutron induced transmutations in sulfur was required for this work. Methods and techniques which were applied to determine this quantity are described in the text. This approach was one of several dosimetric procedures utilized in this investigation.