WG6 Intercomparison on ICRP reference MESH phantoms
Introduction:
The Computational Dosimetry working group (WG6) of EURADOS is organizing an intercomparison study on the usage of the ICRP MESH reference computational phantoms [1] together with radiation transport codes.
Scope:
The aim of this training activity is to investigate if the phantoms have been correctly implemented in the radiation transport codes, to give participants the opportunity to check their own calculations against reference solutions, and to improve their approach, if needed. Voluntary participants are invited to solve two tasks and provide solutions to the organizers before an agreed deadline.
Intercomparison procedure:
Each interested participant can solve one or both of the tasks, according to his/her knowledge, interest, and time to be devoted to the participation. The participants should provide their solutions to the person responsible for each specific task by the specified deadline. Templates will be provided in which the solutions should be filled in a pre-defined format to facilitate the evaluation process. The solutions will be evaluated, and feedback to the participants will be provided; direct contact between responsible persons and participants will aim to resolve potential mistakes. A detailed analysis of the results will be provided in a report. All results will be presented anonymously in that report. Depending on the attention received, the number of participants, and the complexity of problems encountered during the exercise, one or more journal publications co-authored by the task setters and the task solvers may result from the exercise.
Tasks to be solved:
Each of the tasks is supervised by three members of EURADOS WG6. One person is responsible for providing a reference solution, the correctness of which has been ascertained by second and third calculations by the other members responsible for the task.
The reference computational phantoms should be used as described in ICRP Publication 145 [1] with the organ and tissue masses given there.
For red bone marrow and endosteum (bone surface) dosimetry, the method proposed in ICRP Publication 116 [2] is recommended; i.e., usage of dose response functions or dose enhancement factors. The bone dosimetry method should be stated explicitly, and any bone dosimetry method deviating from ICRP Publication 116 should be explained in detail.
The tasks to be solved are:
1) External Dosimetry case: the aim of this exercise is to calculate the organ absorbed dose conversion coefficients for MRCP-AM and MRCP-AF as well as the effective dose conversion coefficient for an exposure to a broad plan parallel beam of photons located above the phantom.
2) Internal Dosimetry case: the aim of this exercise is to calculate the Absorbed Fractions (AF) and the Specific Absorbed Fractions (SAF) in a case of an internal contamination via inhalation, using the adult male mesh reference phantom MRCP-AM.
Time schedule:
Announcement of the intercomparison exercise: April 22, 2026
Deadline for submitting the solutions: September 30, 2026
Publication of the results (report or article): March 2027
Organization group:
Christelle Huet, ASNR, France
Montse Moraleda, CIEMAT, Spain
Jon Eakins, UKHSA, United Kingdom
José-María Gómez-Ros, CIEMAT, Spain
Edyta Michaś-Majewska, NCBJ, Poland
Katarzyna Tyminska, NCBJ, Poland
References
[1] ICRP, 2020. Adult mesh-type reference computational phantoms. ICRP Publication 145. Ann. ICRP 49(3).
[2] ICRP, 2010. Conversion Coefficients for Radiological Protection Quantities for External Radiation Exposures. ICRP Publication 116, Ann. ICRP 40(2-5).
Contact : christelle [dot] huet [at] asnr [dot] fr