Physical fundamentals of developing a special neutron personnel dosemeter on the basis of organic solid state track detectors

A dosemeter appropriate for determining neutron doses in accidental situations has been developed, using organic solid state track detectors made of cellulose triacetate. By combination of the albedo principle with the measurement of fast neutron primary fluence the neutrons were recorded with sufficient sensitivity in the whole range of energy, and the influence of spectral variations in the neutron field on dosemeter response was less than with other dosemeter variants. Studies of the dosemeter response as a function of dosemeter-to-body surface distance and of body orientation in the neutron field also yielded better results than the dosemeter systems used hitherto. On the basis of detailed error estimations conclusions are drawn with regard to the useful measuring range and, consequently, applicability of the dosemeter under emergency conditions. (author)