Optimization of a measurement facility for radioactive waste free release by Monte Carlo simulation

Jaroslav Solc; Petr Kovar; Jiri Suran; Virginia Peyres; Eduardo García-Toraño

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2013.11.005

Optimization of a measurement facility for radioactive waste free release by Monte Carlo simulation

Appl Radiat Isot. 2014 May:87:348-52. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2013.11.005. Epub 2013 Nov 12.

Authors

Jaroslav Solc¹, Petr Kovar², Jiri Suran², Virginia Peyres³, Eduardo García-Toraño³

Affiliations

¹ Czech Metrology Institute, Inspectorate for Ionizing Radiation, Radiova 1, 102 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Czech Metrology Institute, Inspectorate for Ionizing Radiation, Radiova 1, 102 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic.
³ Laboratorio de Metrología de Radiaciones Ionizantes, CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense, 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain.

PMID: 24300969
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2013.11.005

Abstract

A novel free release measurement facility (FRMF) was developed within the joint research project "Metrology for Radioactive Waste Management" of the European Metrology Research Programme. Before and during FRMF design and construction, Monte Carlo calculations with MCNPX and PENELOPE codes were used to optimize the thickness of the shielding, the dimensions of the container, and the shape of detector collimators. Validation of the numerical models of the FRMF detectors and the results of the optimization are discussed in the paper.

Keywords: Free release measurement; Low activity measurement; MCNPX; Monte Carlo simulation; PENELOPE.