A mathematical model to describe the alpha dose rate from a UO2 surface

TL;DR

This paper introduces a computationally efficient mathematical model to accurately estimate alpha dose rates from UO2 surfaces, aligning closely with Monte Carlo simulations and aiding in nuclear fuel safety assessments.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel mathematical model using SRIM data to predict alpha dose rates from UO2 surfaces, offering improved efficiency and accuracy over previous models.

Findings

Model replicates Monte Carlo results within 0.6%

Provides dose profiles as a function of distance

Efficient alternative to complex simulations

Abstract

A model to determine the dose rate of a planar alpha-emitting surface, has been developed. The approach presented is a computationally efficient mathematical model using stopping range data from the Stopping Ranges of Ions in Matter (SRIM) software. The alpha dose rates as a function of distance from irradiated UO2 spent fuel surfaces were produced for bench-marking with previous modelling attempts. This method is able to replicate a Monte Carlo (MCNPX) study of an irradiated UO2 fuel surface within 0.6 % of the resulting total dose rate and displays a similar dose profile.