Personnel dose reduction by the use of a computer code to verify the self protection status of research reactor fuel

The development of new physical security regulations has made it desirable for several research reactor facilities to maintain their fuel above the self-protecting level of 100 rem/hr at three feet in the air. Routine verification of this self-protecting status could give rise to appreciable personnel doses. In order to reduce these doses, OSU has developed a self-protection program which utilizes a computer code, and quarterly underwater dose rate measurements. It is estimated that the use of this program has resulted in a dose reduction of up to 5 person rem per year