Radiation protection calculators

The Ionactive Gamma Radiation Skyshine Calculator provides an estimate of skyshine dose rate from a point gamma source inside an open-top rectangular shielding enclosure. It is designed for education, and to provide experience for those interested in radiation protection without needing access to professional and / or expensive software. It is not a substitute for a full skyshine assessment where formal shielding design, licensing or regulatory / consent decisions are required. The calculator will currently handle Co-60, Cs-137, Ir-192 and Se-75  - these radionuclides were chosen because they are important gamma-emitting sources in radiation protection and industrial radiography (so could be used in open top enclosure situations where skyshine may be an important consideration). Within carefully defined limits, which are fully explained in the accompanying notes to this calculator,  the output has been validated using the professional Groves MicroSkyshine software code.  This V 1.1b version includes sensitivity analysis with results plotting. 

An effective half life calculator by Ionactive. Calculate the effective half-life of a radionuclide where both radioactive decay and biological removal are relevant. Select a radionuclide, enter a biological half-life, and compare the physical, biological and effective removal curves using an interactive plot.

A dose rate to radioactivity calculator by Ionactive. This calculator will take a dose rate from a gamma ray emitting radioisotope, and output the activity at a chosen distance (with or without shielding material). All inputs and outputs can be specified in SI and Non-SI units with numerous multiplier options. The results are presented with adaptive buildup (which will depend on the nature of the shielding material and gamma ray energies involved). All output data is validated with the latest version of MicroShield, and a sample output has been validated using OpenMC. This resource is a companion to our 'Radioactivity to Dose Rate' calculator

Dose rate from a radioactive volume source calculator by Ionactive. This calculator will provide the dose rate from a volume radioactive source where the radioactivity is specified per unit volume. Currently two shapes are offered - a rectangle and a cylinder. The calculation point is by default at a perpendicular distance from the midpoint of one surface of the rectangle, and from the end of the cylinder. Version two of this resource (work already underway) will allow offsets around the rectangle and cylinder so that the dose rate calculation point can be moved around the shape. Additional shapes are also planned. Output is provided as absorbed dose rate in air and effective dose rate at the point of interest. Comparison to a point source (of the same total activity) is also presented. A reverse calculation can also be made to provide the likely activity per unit volume from a stated dose rate. This calculator can handle SI and non-SI units for both inputs and outputs. Shielding investigations can also be undertaken for lead, steel, concrete and water. Currently the source material within the volume can be specified as air, water or concrete (more materials will be added in version 2).  This resource is mostly for education purposes in radiation protection and can be used together with the Ionactive point,  line and planar source calculators. 

Dose rate from a radioactive planar source calculator by Ionactive. This calculator will provide the dose rate from a planar radioactive source where the radioactivity is specified per unit area. The calculation point is by default at a perpendicular distance from the midpoint of the area source, but can be offset by any amount to investigate geometry effects. The planar source can be specified by the diameter of a circle or by entering x and y dimensions for a rectangular area. Output is provided as absorbed dose rate in air and effective dose rate at the point of interest. Comparison to a point source (of the same total activity) is also presented. A reverse calculation can also be made to provide the likely activity per unit area from a stated dose rate. This calculator can handle SI and non-SI units for both inputs and outputs. Shielding investigations can also be undertaken for lead, stee, concrete and water. This resource is mostly for education purposes in radiation protection and can be used together with the Ionactive point and line source calculators. 

Dose rate from a radioactive line source calculator by Ionactive. This calculator will provide the dose rate from a linear (line) radioactive source where the radioactivity is specified per unit length. The calculation point is by default at a perpendicular distance from the midpoint of the source, but can be offset by any amount to investigate geometry effects. Output is provided as absorbed dose rate in air and effective dose rate at the point of interest. Comparison to a point source (of the same total activity) is also presented, together with a geometry term indicating the angle (in radians) subtended by the active length of the radioactive line source at the calculation point. A reverse calculation can also be made to provide the likely activity per unit length from a stated dose rate. This calculator can handle SI and non-SI units for both inputs and outputs. This resource is mostly for education purposes in radiation protection and could be advertised as 'The calculator you’ll probably never need — and that’s the point' - you will need to have a play to discover why!