Desktop Freeware 2.0 Released

[raymcginnis]

For those of you not on my mailing list, below is my release announcement for Rad Pro Calculator 2.0:
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Rad Pro Calculator 2.0 is now in the released state.  I am no longer calling it a beta version.  I finished converting the 6CEN/Inverse Square formulas to fluence rate formulas: X=5.263 x 10^-6Asum[y_iE_i(u_en/rho)_i]/r²   where X= dose-rate in R/hr, A = activity in Becquerels, y = fractional peak yield, for each energy, E = peak energy in MeV, u_en/rho = mass attenuation coefficient for each energy in cm²/g and r = distance from the source in cm.  I have access to Cs-137 and Am-241 sources and the real life comparison numbers look good.  Am-241 was so close, that it shocked me.  To demonstrate how far off low and high energy isotopes were with 6CEN in version 1.95 and 2.0 beta, view the following comparison table.  Each isotope was 1 mCi at 2 feet, with no shielding.

Isotope                  Old 6CEN mR/hr            New Fluence Rate mR/hr
Cs-137 (med energy)                0.88                        0.87
Am-241 (low energy)               0.04                        0.47
Pb-210 (low energy)               0.007                        2.42
Co-60 (med high energy)            3.93                        3.49
N-16 (high energy)                  7.20                       3.96

Your download and upgrade options are available at: http://www.radprocalculator.com/RadProDownloads.aspx

Future Versions

I have new research materials on the way for my next addition.  I plan to add an x-ray calculation tab where you enter energy and dose-rate or enter kVp and ma and select shielding materials to assist in designing biological shielding for x-ray facilities.

After that, I'm looking towards Brehmstrallung production from beta interaction with shielding materials.  It will be great for students and newcomers to show mathematically why one should not shield Sr-90 or P-32 with lead or iron, but plastic or wood.

The web version now also uses fluence rate.  Shielding will take a while to translate weeks of work from desktop to web pages.