Three example applications of optimization techniques to Department of Energy contractor radiation protection programs

Six numerical examples of optimization of radiation protection are provided in the appendices of International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 37 (ICRP83). In each case, the calculations are based on fairly well-defined parameters and assumptions that were well understood. In this paper, we have examined three different numerical examples that are based on empirical data and less certain assumptions. These examples are intended to represent typical applications of optimization principles to the evaluation of specific elements of a radiation protection program. In the first example, the optimum bioassay frequency for certain tritium workers was found to be once every 95 days, which compared well with the recommendations of ICRP Publication 10 (ICRP67). The second example showed that the optimum frequency for recalibrating a group of ''Cutie-Pie'' (CP)-type ionization chamber survey instruments was once every 102 days. In the third example, one continuous air monitor (CAM) was determined to be the optimum number in a workplace of a Department of Energy (DOE) plutonium facility. The optimum location of the CAM was determined from past glovebox release studies