RCNET ACAD 08-006 Crosswalk: 3.2.2 Radiological Protection Technicians - Radiation Detection and Measurement Principles

Program Description:

This material was published by the Regional Center for Nuclear Education and Training (RCNET) as part of a comprehensive crosswalk that links objectives of ACAD 08-006 with GP Strategies ABC Material, NUCP Surveyed Material, NANTeL resources, EPRI resources, web resources, and published material available to all RCNET partners. These accredited utility training programs are based off training and qualification guidelines (ACADs) published by the National Academy for Nuclear Training. 

ACAD 08-006 is the Uniform Curriculum Guide for Nuclear Power Plant Technician, Maintenance, and Nonlicensed Operations Personnel Associate Degree Programs and includes five main curriculum areas: Core Curriculum, Discipline-Specific Curriculum for Nonlicensed Operators, Discipline-Specific Curriculum for Radiological Protection Technicians, Discipline-Specific for Chemistry Technicians, and Discipline Specific for Maintenance Personnel.   

Contents:

This Radiation Detection and Measurement Principles section of Radiological Protection Technicians (ACAD 08-006 3.2.2) covers "the basic theory of operation and operating characteristics of detectors, ... includ[ing] instrument efficiency, the factors that affect instrument efficiency, and the calculation of efficiency from given information; the effects of background radiation; and differentiation between the operating characteristics of a radiation field survey instrument and a radioactive contamination survey instrument."

Documents associated with ACAD 08-006 3.2.2 include four instructor documents and four PowerPoint presentations. The four instructor documents provide lecture notes and lecture content about radiation detection principles and equipment, liquid scintillation counters, and portable scintillation detection systems. 

The PowerPoint presentations discuss radiation detection and measurements, portable radiation survey instruments and laboratory instrumentation.  

This material covers, more specifically: the function of ion chamber, proportional counter, alpha scintillation detectors, plastic scintillation detectors and Geiger-Mueller counter; drawing and explaining gas-filled detector six region curve, including gas amplification; explaining line function of a scintillation (micro-r meters, liquid scintillation counters, zinc-sulfide alpha counters and probes), fission chamber and semiconductors (high-purity germanium, electronic dosimeters), explaining the operating characteristics an basic electrical circuitry of each survey instrument, performing and describing operational checks on survey instruments, such as battery, zero, source, response, background and calibration; identifying conditions that might affect survey instrument response; and more. 

For orientation purposes the Rad_Measurements_Instrument_Instructor_Notes.pdf is included as a separate attachment and offers a sample of the type of material included in this curriculum. 

Below is a list of the files contained within the .zip attachment. The size of each file is included in parenthesis. 

3.2.2 Radiation Detection and Measurement Principles (11 files, 12.4 MB)

• Documents
  • Radiation Detection Principles (Rad_Measurements_Instrument_Instructor_Notes.docx 307 KB
  • Radiation Detection and Measurement (Radiation_Detection_and_Measurement.docx 657 KB
  • Radiation Detection Principles and Instruments Instructor Notes (Radiation_Detection_Principles_and_Instruments_Instructor_Notes.doc 260 KB
  • Radiation Detection Principles and Instruments Lecture Notes (Radiation_Detection_Principles_and_Instruments_Lecture_Notes.doc 72 KB)
• Presentations
  • Instrumentation Review (Instrumentation_Review.pptx 4.4 MB)
  • Laboratory Instrumentation (Laboratory_Instrumentation.ppt 544 KB)
  • Portable Radiation Survey Instrumentation (Portable_Radiation_Survey_Instruments.ppt 5 MB)
  • Radiation Detection, Measurements, and Instruments (RadMeasurementsInstruments.ppt.pptx 1.1 MB)