Calculating ion pair production within the ICET HEPA filter test stand aerosol neutralizer and radiation dose rates from mobile surveying system data

Aerosols generated in the Institute for Clean Energy (ICET) High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter test stand become charged due to triboelectric processes during production. High-activity beta sources are used to generate ion pairs within the HEPA test stand. The generated ion pairs bind with aerosols to effectively neutralize surface charges on the aerosols. Several methods to calculate the ion pair concentration within the HEPA test stand are described. Several buildings at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) have been slated for decontamination and decommissioning. Contaminating isotopes must be identified and located. Systematic surveys using gamma-ray scintillation detectors can be used to locate and identify gamma-emitting isotopes. Discussed are methods that use gamma-ray spectroscopy data collected during surveys to locate, identify, determine source strength and corresponding dose rates. Survey data are then used to construct radiation intensity and dose rate maps of the interior of the surveyed structures