Treffer: Benchmarking point-kernel method against Monte Carlo simulations for an ALARA case study in occupational radiation protection.

Title:
Benchmarking point-kernel method against Monte Carlo simulations for an ALARA case study in occupational radiation protection.
Authors:
Roberto F; SCK CEN, Belgian Nuclear Research Center, Boeretang 190, Mol, 2400, Belgium.; Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium., Abdelrahman M; SCK CEN, Belgian Nuclear Research Center, Boeretang 190, Mol, 2400, Belgium., Pasquale L; SCK CEN, Belgian Nuclear Research Center, Boeretang 190, Mol, 2400, Belgium., Vanhavere F; SCK CEN, Belgian Nuclear Research Center, Boeretang 190, Mol, 2400, Belgium., Lee JA; Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Source:
Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection [J Radiol Prot] 2025 Nov 04; Vol. 45 (4). Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Nov 04.
Publication Type:
Journal Article; Comparative Study
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: IOP Pub. Ltd Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8809257 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1361-6498 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09524746 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Radiol Prot Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Original Publication: [Bristol, UK] : IOP Pub. Ltd., [c1988-
MeSH Terms:
Monte Carlo Method* , Radiation Protection*/methods , Radiation Protection*/standards , Occupational Exposure*/analysis , Occupational Exposure*/prevention & control , Benchmarking*/methods , Radiation Monitoring*/methods, Humans ; Computer Simulation ; Radiation Dosage
Contributed Indexing:
Keywords: ALARA; Monte Carlo; benchmarking; point-kernel; radiation protection
Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20251023 Date Completed: 20251104 Latest Revision: 20251104
Update Code:
20251104
DOI:
10.1088/1361-6498/ae16b5
PMID:
41130227
Database:
MEDLINE

Weitere Informationen

The principle of as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) is of paramount importance for the radiation protection of workers, and more specifically in the context of the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. For that purpose, several tools have been developed to measure and assess radiation doses to workers, to plan radiological work, and to ensure that safety protocols are followed. Most of these planning tools are based on the well-established point-kernel (PK) method, while others rely on Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The scope of this paper is to compare, for some case studies, the performance and accuracy of VISIPLAN 4.0, a PK-based tool developed at SCK CEN, with MC simulations, to highlight the advantages and limitations of both methods. The major advantage of PK methods is usually related to their lower computational burden, at the cost of a less accurate assessment of dose values. However, depending on the number of source points chosen for the PK method, the simulation time could be comparable to MC simulations: in the scenarios presented in this paper, the simulation time was comparable to MC simulations when a high number of source points was considered. Moreover, VISIPLAN, on average, overestimated the dose assessment by approximately 50% compared to MC results.
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