| This study aims to modify a pervasive method in surveying and characterizing surface
contaminated objects, by addressing the ambiguity inherent in common technical procedures.
The term “moderate pressure” is an arbitrary statement that is prevalent in technical
documentation in reference to performing swipe or removable contamination surveys. This study
reviews the literature, introduces an experimental methodology, and quantifies the efficacy
associated with the efficacy associated with the application of pressure. The ambiguity
surrounding the appropriate amount of applied pressures prompted this study. This paper
addresses the optimization of applied swipe pressure when performing removable contamination
sampling and quantifies the amount of pressure that should be required and applied
perpendicularly over the swiping medium area. The results of this study found that an applied
pressure of 9,662 to 12,077 pascals onto the swiping medium yielded the optimal removal
fraction of contamination for non-porous surfaces, as did 7,246 to 8,454 pascals for porous
surfaces, over the equivalent surface area.
Key Words: Health Physics, Pressure Optimization, Smear Sampling, Swipe Survey, Removable
Contamination Survey, Removable Radioactive Material Contamination Survey |