Simplified virtual reality training system for radiation shielding and measurement in nuclear engineering

• Published in: Progress in nuclear energy (New series) Vol. 118; p. 103127
• Main Authors: Hagita, Katsumi, Kodama, Yuuki, Takada, Masashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Barrels; HTC VIVE; Kernels; Nuclear engineering; Nuclear power plants; Nuclear reactor components; Nuclear reactors; Object motion; Point kernel method; Radiation; Radiation dosage; Radiation protection training; Radiation shielding; Radiation sources; Studies; Sum rules; Survey meter; Training; Unity; Virtual reality; Walls; Radiation protection training; Survey meter; HTC VIVE; Unity; Point kernel method; Virtual reality
• ISSN: 0149-1970; 1878-4224
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pnucene.2019.103127

We developed a virtual reality implementation with a virtual survey meter for training and other purposes so that general scientists can utilize virtual reality in nuclear engineering. To demonstrate the efficacy of the implementation, we considered a simplified training scenario that enables beginners and non-experts to experience the environment of radiation sources and radiation shielding walls. Although it is a very simple system compared with operations at an actual facility, it provides a starting point for introductory training in radiation shielding. With comprehensive radiation training in mind, we used a commodity virtual-reality device and the software environments HTC VIVE, Unity, and VRTK. Previous studies confirmed the validity of the point kernel approximation to estimate the dose rate from barrels of nuclear deposits of radiation sources. In this study, we introduced the use of steel and concrete walls as shields in order to establish the training scenario. The virtual survey meter, walls, and barrels were simply created as Unity native objects and could be moved by a hand device through VRTK. Radiation rates were calculated using a short code based on the point kernel method. We verified the r−2 rule and sum rule. As a training scenario, we examined the training to measure the change in radiation dose rate from three barrels when moving the shielding walls. The training scenario was analyzed to show the validity and future applications of our virtual-reality implementation. [Display omitted] •Interactive VR with a virtual survey meter was implemented using commodity tools.•VR-based training simulator included barrels (sources) and walls (shields).•Point kernel method was used for efficient implementation.