Calibration system for portable alpha and beta contamination monitors
Evaluation of contamination is done by various contamination monitoring instruments. The calibration of these instruments is essential for evaluating their performance over time. Generally, calibration of contamination monitors is performed using small-area disc sources. It has several challenges, s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Radiation Protection and Environment |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/rpe.rpe_20_25 |
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| author | Athira B. Varrier T. P. Preetha M. Menaka |
| author_facet | Athira B. Varrier T. P. Preetha M. Menaka |
| author_sort | Athira B. Varrier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Evaluation of contamination is done by various contamination monitoring instruments. The calibration of these instruments is essential for evaluating their performance over time. Generally, calibration of contamination monitors is performed using small-area disc sources. It has several challenges, such as irradiate only a small portion of the detector’s sensitive area, which may not accurately represent the monitor’s overall response, especially for large-area detectors. In addition, maintaining a fixed and reproducible geometry between the point source and the detector is difficult. This paper describes a calibration system for portable alpha and beta surface contamination monitors with automated source handling. This system features large area standard sources such as Americium-241 and Strontium (+Yttrium)-90 sources with active area 250 mm × 170 mm with activity uncertainty of ±3%. In addition, a fixed and reproducible distance ensures consistent irradiation across the entire sensitive area of the detector. This paper discusses in detail the calibration methodology, efficiency determination, and conversion factor calculations using this system. The system provides high reproducibility and repeatability due to the fixed distance between the source and detector and the use of a large-area planar source. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-93e81a7d922f46ffb00aa633b88c6da5 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 0972-0464 2250-0995 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Radiation Protection and Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-93e81a7d922f46ffb00aa633b88c6da52025-07-04T10:27:53ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsRadiation Protection and Environment0972-04642250-09952025-01-01481253010.4103/rpe.rpe_20_25Calibration system for portable alpha and beta contamination monitorsAthira B. VarrierT. P. PreethaM. MenakaEvaluation of contamination is done by various contamination monitoring instruments. The calibration of these instruments is essential for evaluating their performance over time. Generally, calibration of contamination monitors is performed using small-area disc sources. It has several challenges, such as irradiate only a small portion of the detector’s sensitive area, which may not accurately represent the monitor’s overall response, especially for large-area detectors. In addition, maintaining a fixed and reproducible geometry between the point source and the detector is difficult. This paper describes a calibration system for portable alpha and beta surface contamination monitors with automated source handling. This system features large area standard sources such as Americium-241 and Strontium (+Yttrium)-90 sources with active area 250 mm × 170 mm with activity uncertainty of ±3%. In addition, a fixed and reproducible distance ensures consistent irradiation across the entire sensitive area of the detector. This paper discusses in detail the calibration methodology, efficiency determination, and conversion factor calculations using this system. The system provides high reproducibility and repeatability due to the fixed distance between the source and detector and the use of a large-area planar source.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/rpe.rpe_20_25activityalpha and beta radiationcontamination monitoringconversion factorefficiencyradiation protectionsurface contaminationsurface emission rate |
| spellingShingle | Athira B. Varrier T. P. Preetha M. Menaka Calibration system for portable alpha and beta contamination monitors Radiation Protection and Environment activity alpha and beta radiation contamination monitoring conversion factor efficiency radiation protection surface contamination surface emission rate |
| title | Calibration system for portable alpha and beta contamination monitors |
| title_full | Calibration system for portable alpha and beta contamination monitors |
| title_fullStr | Calibration system for portable alpha and beta contamination monitors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Calibration system for portable alpha and beta contamination monitors |
| title_short | Calibration system for portable alpha and beta contamination monitors |
| title_sort | calibration system for portable alpha and beta contamination monitors |
| topic | activity alpha and beta radiation contamination monitoring conversion factor efficiency radiation protection surface contamination surface emission rate |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/rpe.rpe_20_25 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT athirabvarrier calibrationsystemforportablealphaandbetacontaminationmonitors AT tppreetha calibrationsystemforportablealphaandbetacontaminationmonitors AT mmenaka calibrationsystemforportablealphaandbetacontaminationmonitors |