Speaker
Description
Important part of radiological emergency response training is radiological assessment of the site and delineation of cold/warm/hot zones. Ideally, the training would be a hands-on practice with real radiation sources with type, activity and spatial distribution matching the modelled emergency situation. However, such training is constrained by safety, regulatory and logistical limitations.
For scenarios involving search for high-activity sealed source or major surface contamination in the exterior (as in case of radiological dispersal device), such training is limited to infrequent events for highly specialized units, where the costs and health risks can be justified.
To provide access to such training option to a wider audience, we have developed a solution using a virtual radiation field that users can interact with using one of three interface devices, each tailored to requirements of a different target group.
The virtual radiation field is created per event/scenario requirements from additive components precomputed using the MCNP radiation transport code, with building blocks corresponding to point sources, surface contamination, or scenario-specific complex geometries. Based on GPS position, the user is provided with ambient dose rate readings, energy spectra, and radionuclide identification data.
Multiple users can share the same virtual radiation field, interfacing with it via a webpage on tablet/phone, a custom simulator of spectrometric radionuclide identification device, or a real gamma spectrometer with radionuclide identification capability. Field status and user progress are shared to a situational awareness dashboard. For wide area search training, the custom device is also capable of offline operation.
Project "Ground and airborne training center for radiation emergency preparedness teams", has been supported by the Ministry of Interior from the programme Open challenges in security research 2023–2029 (OPSEC).