Objective
The main objectives of this project are to evaluate a novel method of active dose assessment of air crew and to verify the up-dated cosmic ray transport code "LUIN94" including precise determination of flight-position by GPS. Investigations of solar particle events by unattended in-flight dose measurements as well as by theoretical modelling of cosmic ray codes will be an additional objective of this proposal.
Since the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) recommends cosmic radiation exposure in civil aviation to be considered as occupational exposure, radiation risk to aircrew at aviation-altitudes has become an important matter of nternational concern. Up to now no practicable active airborne dosimeter system exists.
During the last years the Seibersdorf department for radiation protection studied, within a national project for the Allgemeine Unfallversichungsanstalt (Labour Accident Insurance), a new active dose assessment method for aircrew and performed first in-flight tests successfully. The innovation of this method is the combination of measuring the ionising component and calculating the neutron component of dose equivalent caused by cosmic rays using the up-dated cosmic ray transport code "LUIN94" and an integrated GPS (global positioning system). The next logical step is to evaluate this method very precisely within an international co-operation.
It is the intention of the project team to co-ordinate the scientific program in accordance with the existing EU- project for Radiation at Aviation Altitudes (coordinator: Prof. D. O'Sullivan) and work in close contact to avoid doubling the effort on measurements.
The evaluation of the proposed assessment method includes:
* The calibration and characterisation of the response of new as well as of conventional dosimeter systems for in-flight investigations.
* The verification of the up-dated cosmic ray transport code called "LUIN94" by reference measurements, including GPS.
* The calculation of "conversion-factors", between calculated total and ionising dose equivalent, for a narrow grid of flight patterns and altitudes by the transport code LUIN94. The establishment of a data base of conversion factors provides fast data access to estimate the dose equivalent (rate) at a momentary flight position in real-time.
* Verification of the assessment method by short- and long-term in-flight investigations over a wide range of flight patterns and altitudes. The dose contribution by solar particle events has been estimated to about 100 times more than the radiation exposure in aviation altitudes without such influences. Up to now no experimental in-flight data about the dose contribution by solar particle events exists. Long-term in-flight investigations and the conclusion of recently introduced concepts to extend LUIN94 for solar particle events are further objectives of this project.
Programme(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
2444 SEIBERSDORF
Austria