Nukes Flashcards
1
Q
What are the two types of radiation
A
Ionizing and Non-Ionizing
2
Q
Ionizing and Non-Ionizing
A
Ionizing - X-Ray, Gamma, alpha, beta, neutron
Non-Ionizing - Microwave, Radio, light.
3
Q
What is a quality factor
A
A value of relative biological effectiveness of an absorbed dose of radiation.
4
Q
What are the quality factors for all radiation types?
A
X-ray, Gamma, Beta — 1
Neutrons — 10
High Energy protons — 10
Alpha, multiple charged particles, fission fragments, heavy particles — 20
5
Q
Explain ionizing vs. non ionizing radiation
A
Ionizing - Has enough energy to displace electrons from atoms or molecules.
Non-Ionizing - Does not have enough energy to displace electrons from atoms or molecules.
6
Q
What is alpha radiation?
A
A positively charged particle ejected from the nucleus of a radioactive atom (Identical to a helium atom with no electrons)
7
Q
How far does alpha travel?
A
1-2 inches
8
Q
How do you shield from alpha?
A
Just about anything. Paper and skin can even stop alpha radiation
9
Q
What are the associated hazards of alpha radiation?
A
Inhalation, ingestion, absorption through open wounds
10
Q
What is beta radiation?
A
Either a negatively or positively charged electron (positron) ejected from a radioactive atom
11
Q
How far does beta travel?
A
6 to 10 feet
12
Q
How do you shield from beta?
A
Clothing and gloves. It will penetrate into the skin
13
Q
What are the associated hazards of beta radiation?
A
Inhalation, ingestion, absorption through exposed skin
14
Q
What is neutron radiation?
A
An uncharged elementary particle (nucleon)
15
Q
How far do neutrons travel?
A
Hundreds or thousands of feet in air.
16
Q
How do you shield from neutrons
A
Low atomic number (Z) materials such as water or carbon
17
Q
What are the associated hazards of neutron radiation?
A
Inhalation, ingestion, absorption through exposed skin
18
Q
What is gamma radiation?
A
Extremely high energy electromagnetic radiation that originates from the nucleus of a radioactive atom.
19
Q
How far does gamma radiation travel?
A
Potentially forever but disperses due to the inverse square law
20
Q
How do you shield from gamma radiation?
A
High Z material
21
Q
What are the associated hazards of gamma radiation?
A
Difficult to shield, absorption into skin/organs.
22
Q
What is X-ray radiation?
A
High energy electromagnetic radiation that originates from the valence shell of a radioactive atom.
23
Q
How far do x-rays travel ?
A
Potentially forever but disperses due to the inverse square law
24
Q
How do you shield from x-rays?
A
High Z material
25
What are the associated hazards of x-ray radiation?
Difficult to shield, absorption into skin/organs.
26
When do you need respiratory protection for radiological response
When cpm on the PDQ-6 is above 159,840. SCBA required for cpm above 799,200.
When there is known or suspected contamination
27
List common emitters of each type of radiation
Alpha: radium-226, radon-222, uranium-233, uranium-235, uranium-238, plutonium-239
Beta: strontium-90, carbon-14, tritium, sulfur-35
Gamma: iodine-131, cesium-137, cobalt-60, radium-226
Neutron: americium-241, californium-252, plutonium-239
28
What is an atom
The smallest component of an element.
29
What are the parts of an atom
Neutron
Proton
Electron
30
What is a proton
A subatomic particle with a positive charge contained within an atom’s nucleus
31
What is a neutron
A subatomic particle with a neutral charge contained within an atom’s nucleus
32
What is an electron
A subatomic particle with a negative charge and is significantly smaller than a proton/neutron
33
What is an ion
An atom or molecule that has lost or gained one or more electrons
34
What is contained in the nucleus
Protons and Neutrons
35
What is an atomic number
A number equal to the number of protons within the nucleus of an atom.
36
What is atomic mass
The mass of an atom, equal to the number of protons & neutrons in an isotope.
37
What is an isotope
A variant of a particular atom that has a different number of neutrons but the same number of protons.
38
What determines radioactivity
The radioactivity of a particular isotope is determined by its specific activity which is determined by the isotope’s half-life.
39
What is specific activity
Curie per unit mass
Activity per unit weight of a given sample of radioactive material.
40
What is high z material? What is low z?
Material with high density or a large atomic number (big, heavy nucleus)
Material with low density or a small atomic number (small nucleus)
41
What is half life?
The amount of time it takes for a substance to decay to ½ of its original activity
42
What is a Voss book
A radiation worker’s field handbook
43
What can you find it in a Voss book?
Acute Radiation Effects
Half-Value Layer Calcs
Common emitters and their progenies
44
What is a half value layer?
A shielding layer of material that is sufficient thickness to ½ the amount of radiation detectable on the skin of the shield.
45
How do you compute it half value layers?
I = I. 0.5n → n = [log(I/I.)]/log(0.5)
I = Shielded Exposure Rate
I0 = Unshielded Exposure Rate
n = number of half value layers
46
What is fission
The process of splitting a heavy atom into two lighter atoms
47
What is fusion
The fusing of two light nuclei that forms a heavier atom along with a release of energy
48
What is criticality?
When a neutron that is emitted during fission causes a second nucleus to fission and this process becomes a self sustaining chain reaction
A way of describing change in fission rate
49
What are the three types of criticality?
Super-Critical - When the change in fission rate is increasing
Critical - When the change in fission rate is constant
Sub-Critical - When the change in fission rate is decreasing
50
What are the factors affecting criticality
Mass
Interactions
Density - (high density lowers critical mass)
Shape - (Sphere bad, disk good)
Purity - lack of contaminates
Enrichment -
Reflection - reflecting of neutrons
Moderation - slowing of neutrons
51
What is tritium?
Hydrogen atom with one proton and two neutrons
52
What is deuterium
Hydrogen atom with one proton and one neutrons
53
What is the NAVMED for radiation heath
NAVMED 5055
54
What is ARS?
Acute Radiation Sickness
An acute illness caused by irradiation of the entire body (or most of the body) by a high dose of penetrating radiation in a very short period of time
55
How does ionizing radiation affect the body?
It destroys your cells and DNA
56
What symptoms are expected at different dose levels? (In REM)
Bone Marrow: 70-1000 rads
Gastro-Intestinal: 600 to over 1000 rads
CNS: Over 5000 rads
57
What are the limits of exposure for EOD and non essential personnel
Essential (look into this one more)
Whole body does: 3 rem/qtr; 5 rem/yr
Non-Essential
500 mrem/yr
58
What is REM
Roentgen Equivalent Man
The unit of dose of any ionizing radiation which produces the biological effect as a unit of absorbed dose of ordinary X-Rays
Equal to absorbed dose in RADS multiplied by the quality factor
59
What is RAD
Radiation Absorbed Dose
The unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation (0.01J/kg)
60
What is roentgen?
A unit of exposure to ionizing radiation.
61
What is a curie?
A unit of activity or number of nuclear transformations per second (or disintegrations per second)
62
What is a Sievert
100 REM
SI unit for Dose Equivalent
63
What is LD50?
The lethal dose for 50% of the population
64
LD50/60?
The lethal dose for 50% of the population that will kill w/in 60 days
65
What are the three types of nuclear weapons?
Gun-Type
A mass of sub-critical material is shot into a larger mass of sub-critical material in order to create a supercritical total mass
Implosion Type
Where a sub-critical mass is surrounded by a sphere of explosives that, when detonated, compress the mass into a supercritical volume
Thermonuclear (Boosted)
66
What two nukes did we drop and where?
Little Boy - Gun Type - Hiroshima
Fat Man - Implosion Type - Nagasaki
67
What is contained in the PDX2 kit?
4x HRM
4x UDR-15
2x Identifinder
1x LRM
68
What is the HRM
Handheld Radiation Monitor
Maxes out at 12mR/hr for gamma and >138cpm of neutron
Contains a Cesium Iodide Scintillator to detect Gamma
Contains a Helium-3 tube to detect Neutron
Update button takes data from the last 6 seconds upon button press
Gamma display ‘period’ will flash every 20s to indicate operation
69
What sensors does the HRM use? What do they detect?
Contains a Cesium Iodide Scintillator to detect Gamma
Contains a Helium-3 tube to detect Neutron
70
What is the response time of the HRM? Scan speed? Scan distance?
<1 second response time
2 ft/s or slower
Within 2 ft of every object in the search area
71
What level does the HRM wash out at?
12mR/hr
72
What is the update time for the HRM?
6 seconds before the update button is pressed
73
Is the HRM waterproof? If so, why?
Waterproof to 66ft. I dont know why
74
What is the LRM?
Linear Radiation Monitor
75
What sensor technology does the LRM use/What does it detect?
Contains a Cesium Iodide Scintillator to detect Gamma
Contains a Helium-3 tube to detect Neutron
76
What is the response time, scan speed and scan distance for the LRM?
Response time is ½ second for both G and N.
2-6 ft/s scanning
Scan w/in 10-15ft
77
When does the LRM wash out?
12mR/hr
78
What is the update time for the LRM?
Previous 16 seconds
79
What mode do we search in for the LRM?
Totalize
80
How many sensors does the LRM contain?
27 sensors, 18 gamma, 9 Neutron
81
How many containers can the LRM search at once?
9 stacked containers (80ft/avg container height of 8.5ft)
82
What is the tensile strength of the LRM cable?
110 lbs
83
Can additional sensors be added to the LRM?
Yes
84
Where would additional sensors added to the LRM be located on the LCD?
They would all read on hte last bar as one unit
85
What is the response for the LRM time? Modes?
½ second for G and N sensors
Totalize and Linear
86
What is the UDR-15?
A personal radiation detector used for detecting dosage and dosage rate.
87
What sensor tech does the UDR-15 use/what do they detect
Geiger-Muller Tube
X-Rays, Gamma, and Neutrons
88
What is the detection range of the UDR-15?
Background (1.0uR/hr) to 500r/hr
89
How accurate is the UDR-15?
+/- 10% up to 350 R/hr
+/- 20% from 350 - 500 R/hr
90
Can the UDR be used as a TLD?
Electronic dosimeters are also used as secondary dosimetric devices.
91
What dose on the UDR-15 indicates radiation?
A reading above 1mR/hr
92
What is the identifinder?
A handheld gamma spectrometer
93
What sensor technology does the identifinder use?
Internal Cs-137 calibration source
Sodium Iodide Scintillator
Geiger Mueller Tube
3He Tube
94
What are the indentifider's modes of operation?
Dose: Gamma dose and gamma dose rate
Finder: Search for a individual sources or for areas of contamination
Identify: Identification of radio nuclides based on gamma ray spectra
95
At what dose rate does the identifinder wash out at?
Dose Rate NaI Scintillator - 1 uRem/hr —> 50mRem/hr
Dose Rate GM Tube - 50 mRem/hr → 100 Rem/hr
Dose → 100 Rem
96
What library in the identifinder do we use?
"Secur" or "Security"
97
What is in the PDQ 6 kit?
IM-266 Meter
DT-680 Gamma/Beta Probe
DT-681 Alpha Probe
98
How does the beta probe work?
A thin walled G-M tube allows high energy beta particles through it to impart energy into the tube gasses and cause a Townsend avalanche.
The issue is that there is no way for the detector to differentiate what is causing the avalanche. This is where the window comes in.
The beta window is thick enough to shield the tube from in-coming beta energy and thus the operator knows for a fact that the only energy being detected is gamma/x-ray.
99
How accurate is the beta probe?
Accurate to +/- 10% within 1mR/hr to 1000R/hr
100
Where do you get the most accurate readings on the beta probe?
On the window side marked with a “+” and on the front, also marked with a “+”
101
How does the alpha probe work?
Phosphorous scintillator converts radiation into light that is converted into electrons via a photo-cathode. The electrons are then amplified in a photo multiplier tube and then read as an output by the meter.
102
How accurate is the alpha probe?
Accurate to +/- 15% within 50pCi to 4uCi
103
Can you repair the alpha probe's screen? If so, How?
Yes, electrical tape.
104
What is the screen area on the alpha probe?
100 cm square
105
Explain the rule of fours
Double the distance, quarter the dose
106
Explain the inverse square law
Intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance
I.D.^2 = ID^2
(Be able to write and solve the equation)
107
What is the equation for stay time calcs?
D=RT Dose = Rate * Time
108
What is the ship effect?
The increased presence of background radiation near ships or large bodies of high-Z materials, such as ships due to cosmic rays interacting with the nuclei.
109
Explain the theory of operation behind our xrays
Bremsstrahlung (Brake-Ray) or “Braking Radiation”
The emission of x-rays from a stray electron that is being slowed by the nucleus of a high-Z atom.
Our x-rays have a spark gap pointed at a tungsten block.
110
What is LET?
Linear Energy Transfer - The average loss in energy per unit of path traveled by the incident radiations
111
What is the NARP?
Nuclear Weapon Accident Response Procedures
Non-Athletic Regular Person
112
What are the phases of a Nuclear Accident Response?
Phase 1: Notification and Deployment
Verbal reports by the lowest level command with knowledge of the incident are provided to the National Joint Operations and Intelligence Center (NJOIC) who then alert the organizations needed for response.
Phase 1 ends when all organizations are notified.
----------------------------------------------------
Phase 2: Initial Response
Initial actions such as first aid and firefighting, incident command and control, public protective actions, security and contamination control.
DoD responsibilities in this phase include
Secure the weapon and classified components/materials
Protect life
Prevent additional damage to property and the environment
Preserve evidence
----------------------------------------------------
Phase 3: Accident Site Consolidation
As the situation stabilizes, a joint field office is established, contamination control measures are implemented, removal of hazards, performing follow-on RSPs, planning Site Remediation, and public affairs.
----------------------------------------------------
Phase 4 Weapon Recovery Operations
After fires are extinguished, casualties are removed, and the weapons have cooled, EOD will conduct a recon of the area to locate weapon(s) and debris and determine weapon condition.
Hazard removal, Staging, Custody transfer, final packaging and marking, and shipment are all included in phase 4.
----------------------------------------------------
Phase 5: Site Remediation
This phase is for the cleanup of contamination
113
What phase of the NARP is EOD involved in?
Phase 2
Prevent nuclear detonation
Prevent HE detonation
Detecting, ID, contain, and reduce hazards of explosives and radiation hazards.
Protecting personnel against said hazards.
114
What is an RDD?
*Check working papers*
115
What is an IND?
*Check working papers*
116
What type of material indicates RDD vs. IND
High gamma activity indicates RDD
Uranium or Plutonium , Low gamma activity indicates IND
117
What is SNM?
Special Nuclear Material
Plutonium, Uranium 233
118
What is ALARA?
As Low As Reasonably Achievable
119
What is 1 point safe?
A nuclear explosive that, in the event a detonation is initiated at any one point in the high explosive system, presents no greater probability than one in a million of producing a nuclear explosive yield of greater than 4 pounds of TNT equivalent.
120
What is a Strong link?
A link that provides electrical isolation to the detonation system and responds only to very particular inputs.
121
What is a Weak link?
A link that is intentionally designed to fail at relatively low stresses (impact, fire, etc..). This is so that weak links fail before the safety device or environmental barrier fails.
122
What is RTV-12
A silicone compound that is liquid and then cures into a soft rubber.
*Check working papers on how we use it*
123
What is NORM/TE-NORM
Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material
Technically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material
124
Explain the popcorn effect?
Sympathetic detonation of neuclear wepaons
The successive detonations of multiple nuclear weapons in storage or transport as the result of an HE detonation in the vicinity.
Popcorn safe is a weapons ability to resist the popcorn effect.
125
What is CNWDI
Critical Nuclear Weapon Design Information
A DoD category of weapon data designating that Top Secret/Restricted Data or Secret/Restricted Data revealing the theory of operation or design of the components of a thermonuclear or implosion-type fission bomb, warhead, demolition munitions, or test device. Specifically excluded from designation as CNWDI is information concerning:
-Arming, fuzing, and firing systems.
-Limited-life components.
-Total contained quantities of fissionable, fusionable, and high explosive materials by type.
-Components which military personnel set, maintain, operate, test, or replace.
126
What instruciton Governs CNWDI?
DOE O 452.8
127
What is NEMO?
*Check working papers*
128
What is TMAB?
*Check working papers*
129
What is lensing?
A lens specially shaped explosive charge designed to control and shape the way an explosive wave propagates through it. In nuclear weapons it is used to turn several spherical waves into a single converging wave.
130
How are wepons boosted?
*Check working papers*
131
What is the ARG and what do they do?
Accident Response Group
A group of SMEs composed of DOE and DOE-contractor personnel assigned responsibility for providing DOE response to peacetime accidents/incidents involving US stockpile weapons anywhere in the world.
Providing DOE response to peacetime accidents/incidents involving US stockpile weapons anywhere in the world.
132
What is mass defect?
The difference in the total mass of an atom and the sum of the masses of all its parts. It is thought that this is due to some of that mass being transformed into binding energy that keeps the atom together.
133
What is the ANPDR 78? When is it used?
A photo-multiplier tube for use underwater up to 300ft.
Only able to detect between 30kev to 1.6MeV. It cannot count dose rate.
134
Explain the theory of operation behind the Geiger Mueller tube.
135
Explain the theory of operation behind the He3 tube.
136
Explain the theory of operation behind the Cesium iodide scintillator
137
Explain how Gun-Type munitions work
Conventional explosives are used to shoot one piece of uranium-235 into another to form a critical mass. The impact generates a burst of neutrons, causing an uncontrolled, and explosive, fission chain reaction. Gun-type bombs can only use highly enriched uranium.
138
Explain how Implosion-Type munitions work
An implosion bomb detonates conventional explosives around a spherical shell of plutonium or HEU, known as the pit, which compresses the material into a tight sphere.
139
Explain how Multistage munitions work
*Check working papers*
140
What types of materials are generally used as a reflector?
*Check working papers*
High Z materials like Tungsten or depleted Uranium.
141
What is DTRA and what do they do?
Defense Threat Reduction Agency
To deploy to accident sites to advise DoD assets on technical issues and to generate hazard area predictions based on reported information.
142
What are the phases of ARS?
Prodromal, Latent, Manifest, Recovery or Death
Prodromal stage (N-V-D stage): The classic symptoms for this stage are nausea, vomiting, as well as anorexia and possibly diarrhea (depending on dose), which occur from minutes to days following exposure. The symptoms may last (episodically) for minutes up to several days.
Latent stage: In this stage, the patient looks and feels generally healthy for a few hours or even up to a few weeks.
Manifest illness stage: In this stage the symptoms depend on the specific syndrome (see Table 1) and last from hours up to several months.
Recovery or death: Most patients who do not recover will die within several months of exposure. The recovery process lasts from several weeks up to two years.
