Radiation protection calculators

An Ionactive neutron source dose rate calculator. With this calculator you can estimate the gamma and neutron dose rate from a radioactive source including AmBe, AmBe, Cf-252, PuBe, RaBe and more. Or try a reverse calculation and predict the activity of the source from the gamma, neutron or combined dose rates. Very much a 'what if' type calculator to provide an indication of likely external radiological hazard, particularly from legacy sources which could become unshielded. 

A specific activity calculator from Ionactive. Specific activity is a fundamental concept in radiation protection, nuclear medicine, radioactive materials handling and radioactive waste management. It explains why activity alone does not describe radiological significance, and why both the physical quantity of material and nuclear properties must be considered together. The specific activity of a radionuclide depends only on its half-life and molar mass. Materials with very long half-lives (such as U-238) therefore have low specific activities, even when present in large quantities. This calculator allows the user to enter data manually by providing the half-life and molar mass (which in most cases can be approximated to mass number if the raw radioactive material is being considered).  Or, the user can choose from a range of presents which provide exact half-life and molar mass data, and output specific activity, The user may also choose mass and activity conversion options.  The calculator offers  SI or non-SI unit options,  with or without scientific notation. 

A radioactive decay heat calculator from Ionactive. This calculator is for the curious who might wonder what thermal heat is produced from the decay of radioactive material. Classic examples of decay heat include that from spent nuclear fuel, either inside a shut down reactor, or from highly radioactive fuel removed for cooling and decay (usually in wet storage ponds, or dry ventilated stores). Another example is the use of Co-60 in industrial irradiation processes where the huge activity involved produces adventitious heat that needs to be removed from the process. In some cases radioactive material is combined with a thermocouple to produce electricity - a classic example of this is the RTG (radio-thermoelectric generator) which often uses Sr-90 (Y-90 being the key here). On a far smaller physical scale, radioisotopes such as Pu-238 have been used in pacemakers where the intense alpha particle emission heat has been harvested by thermoelectric conversion to produce the electrical energy required for reliable operation. On a much larger scale Pu-238 has powered the Voyager space probes and continues to do so. In this Ionactive calculator we provide a number of radioscopes which you can investigate raw thermal output (e.g. W/Bq), and idealised comparisons with powering electric bulbs, charging phones and running electric bar fires.  Or go deeper, and investigate how water might be heated, how long it would take to charge your phone (using more realistic efficiency), and a realistic RTG output from a given radionuclide and activity. 

A Diagnostic X-ray Shielding / Transmission Calculator by Ionactive. This resource can be used to explore transmission and shielding in a number of materials for the x-ray energy region of 25-150 kVp. The shielding materials include lead, concrete, steel, gypsum, plate glass and wood. Whilst advertised as a diagnostic x-ray calculator, since the x-ray data is taken from typical medical x-ray tubes (e.g. HVT of 3mm AL at 80 kVp), its potential use is far wider. This calculator can be used for basic primary shielding calculations in the medical sector, but does not consider workload, distance or occupancy. The calculator is flexible enough to be used in the research and industrial sectors when relatively low kVp x-rays are utilised. The analysis provided by the calculator is one of its significant features and is used to explore how transmission may be represented by 10th value & half value thickness (TVT & HVT). It also illustrates that whilst TVT/HVT is normally adequate for heavily attenuated photons (in this energy range), lighter attenuation can significantly over estimate shielding design if a fixed TVT/HVT is used. The calculator can also be used to choose alternative shielding materials for a given kV and desired transmission.  The calculation process uses published resources (referenced) with some Ionactive algorithms to fill in for missing data. Future Ionactive calculators will explore medical radiation protection in further detail, particularly looking at how this data can be used to design diagnostic x-ray room shielding (where orientation, primary & secondary shielding, workload & occupancy also need to be considered). 

A beta emitter skin dose rate calculator by Ionactive. This calculator will estimate skin exposure (HP 0.07) from surface contamination of over 100 radioactive substances. Choose radionuclide activity and surface spread and calculate dose rate per hour or minute. Investigate effect of an air gap (e.g. between inner surface of contaminated glove and the skin). Modify the likely skin dose by considering use of shielding materials. Use the glove calculator to show the layers of glove material required to attenuate direct radiation exposure to the skin.  Inputs and outputs can be specified in SI and Non-SI units. The calculation process uses published data (referenced) with some near field Ionactive algorithms for dose rates near to the skin, and through various cover material. Whilst we stand by the robustness of this calculator, we include an optional 'Varskin' selector to more directly align the calculator with expected varskin output (reasoning supplied in the detailed calculator release notes). 

A beta emitter radioactivity to dose rate calculator by Ionactive. Choose a radionuclide and activity at a specified distance from the source (point or planar source), and output the dose rate (absorbed dose in air).  Choose to show various shielding materials (air, tissue, acrylic, gloves) and see the thickness for total attenuation based on beta Emax (in Mev). All inputs and outputs can be specified in SI and Non-SI units. The calculation process uses published data (referenced) with some near field Ionactive algorithms for dose rates very close to the source.