Active Interrogation Safety: DT Generator Dosimetry Measurements
The use of low neutron output (< 1×10 8 neutrons per second) deuterium-tritium (DT) generators for active interrogation results in a low-dose neutron exposure of personnel. The dose is sufficiently low to personnel using an associate particle imaging (API) DT neutron generator that time and distance is sufficient to minimize exposure to personnel. This type of source can be turned off when the generator has to be relocated appropriately for use. Neutron and gamma dosimetry measurements were performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for a generator operating at 5 × 10 7 neutrons per second. The gamma dose was almost negligible compared to the neutron dose. The measured neutron dose at 8 meters was 1.4 mrem per hour. This agrees well with measurements of the ING-27 generator at the All Russian Institute of Automatics (VNIIA) in Moscow where the neutron dose was measured to be 1.5 mrem per hour at 10 meters. Because there is no need to be close to the generator during operation, normal ALARA practice would result in negligible doses to operators compared to the natural background dose (e.g., ~350 mrem in Tennessee).