Measuring and Predicting Gamma Radiation from Radioactive Glass-Filled Canisters

Measurement and prediction of outside surface exposure rates and measurement of gamma photon spectra from radioactive sources are described. The sources were 30-cm-diam canisters filled with borosilicate glass to a height of {approximately} 100 cm. Each canister contained up to 237 kCi of {sup 137}Cs and 159 kCi of {sup 90}Sr. Exposure rates on the outside surfaces ranged from 26000 to 320000 R/h chiefly from decay of {sup 137}Cs.