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At least 577 records · Page 32
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Investigation of the initial and volume recombination losses in gamma versatile cylindrical ionization chamber VGIC developed for gamma ray dosimetry

A versatile Gamma ionization chambers are used for flow control in systems with gamma nuclear reactors and reprocessing plants in and monitoring atmosphere around these facilities, this in order to protect staff. In the Laboratory Detection and Measures (LDM) Division for Study and Development of Nuclear Instrumentation (DSDNI) of CRNB, we designed, developed and characterized a versatile gamma ionization chamber (VGIC) to study experimentally its characteristics according to the geometry of the electrodes, the volume and pressure of the filler gas for the design of a gamma sealed chamber. The tests were conducted under the IEC (International Electro-technical Commission). In this paper, we present the results obtained in the various nuclear tests for characterization and calibration that we have made on the ionization chamber gamma VGIC prototype developed at our Department. To do this, three irradiators were operated at the Laboratory Calibration (SSDL) of the Department of Medical Physics Nuclear Research Center of Algiers (CRNA). Irradiator intensive gamma ({sup 60}Co: 1.25 MeV), one medium intensity gamma ({sup 137}Cs: 0.662 MeV) and 3rd low intensity ({sup 60}Co). Saturation curves and linearity were identified and the operating range and the sensitivity of the chamber have been deducted. The (I,V) characteristics of the chamber filled, with argon gas at 3 bar (0.3 M pa) pressure, for gamma ray irradiator sources were studied. To do so, the chamber was irradiated with gamma rays using different numbers of gamma sources (i.e. Up to 5). The plateau region is reached above 200 V and the detector operating voltage is found to be 600 V. It is observed that in the plateau region the slope is constant with an increase in the exposure rate. The (1/I, 1/V) and (I, l/V{sup 2}) characteristic curves reveal the presence of the initial and volume recombination losses. The volume recombination losses are found to be smaller than the initial recombination losses. Finally, in order to strengthen our results, we performed in the same conditions, a comparative characterization with another ionization gamma chamber type reference LND 504 (USA). (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Study of Plastic Scintillator Properties for Radioactive Sources Dosimetry - Paper 108

Plastic scintillator is a simple material which has the density close to that of human soft tissue (1.06 g/cm{sup 3}). Its energy response is close to that of human soft tissue and it is relatively energy independent. This prospect provide a desired characteristics in measuring dose by plastic scintillator either for radiation monitoring or personal dosimeter. Generally the energy calibration of organic scintillator will be done by using gamma ray sources. The positions of Compton edge in pulse height spectra, which have known energy values will be identified. However the Compton edge normally is very broad and difficult to determine the point corresponding to that particular Compton electron energies. Many researchers used several fitting functions and Monte Carlo simulations to determine the position of Compton edge. For example, Proctor and Wellman (2012) used a straight line fit to the linear part of Compton edge and extrapolated to zero count. While L. Swiderski et al. used a method based on a back-scattered coincidence measurement to measure in a wide energy range the position of Compton edge in organic scintillators. For a simple and quick approach of calibration, we used a Gauss-error function to fit the Compton edge region of interest by assumed that the location of maximum energy of Compton electrons is half-height of the Compton maximum (CM). The reasons is because the CM position could be determined easily from the spectra throughout wide energy range. Interpreting gamma dose rates from accumulated plastic scintillation detector spectra is often a complex task because the probability of a full energy deposition event in the detector is often negligible. Despite no full energy peaks in plastic scintillator spectra, several attempts have been made by the other researchers to obtain the dose from the energy distribution spectra of gamma radiation. For example, Proctor and Wellman used the modified spectrum dose index (SDI) to calculate the exposure rates by multiplying the energy corresponding to its channel and all products are summed before multiply by a calibration constant to yield an exposure rate. While Lobdell and Hertel calculated dose using a response matrix based on spectral unfolding technique. From these points of view, we have made an attempt to correlate the counts obtained in scintillator with absorbed dose or ambient dose equivalent. We aimed to calibrate the plastic scintillator energy deposition for dose, by correlate the counts obtained with a particular value of dose. By designed the scintillator to measure at 1 cm tissue depth might be helpful to be used as radiation monitoring or personal dosimeter since the energy response of plastic scintillator is relatively energy independent compared to that of inorganic scintillators. The energy calibration proposed from simple fitting approach had been verified with calculated spectra. This might be considered as a practical approach for technician or radiation workers with sufficient accuracy. The linear behavior of counts per absorbed dose give promising to calibrate scintillator energy deposition to read dose (equivalent dose or absorbed dose) for photons. Thus the scintillator could provide both the energy and dose response simultaneously, which may important in some radiation field of measurements. Currently the scintillator is able to give dose rate value for gamma sources of Cs-137 and Mn-54. The number of counts per unit absorbed dose would likely to vary somewhat with photon energy, although the plastic scintillator should have a tissue dose response that is relatively energy independent. Further analysis will be done on conversion factor parameters so that it could be used in such situations where the radiation field is complex or unknown. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

A new dose assessment method for the UK system of criticality accident dosimetry - 14420

A new method for the measurement and interpretation of the Harwell criticality accident dosemeter has been developed. The new method treats the dosemeter components as individual detector elements with unique energy-dependent response functions generated with MCNP6. A bespoke deconvolution code was written that generates a parameterized neutron spectrum from the integral activities in each detector element. The spectrum can be folded with any set of fluence-to-dose conversion coefficients to determine an integral dose. The new method has been validated computationally using realistic neutron spectra and experimentally in a series of test irradiations using the Godiva-IV, CALIBAN and PROSPERO critical assemblies. The method was able to reproduce the true dose with a small positive bias and a combined relative uncertainty of 25 % across the full range of spectra considered (10 pGy cm{sup 2} to 45 pGy cm{sup 2}). (authors)

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

X-ray Inspection Model Validation with Physical Dosimetry

A non-functional printed circuit board assembly was developed using ULTIboard and a simple computational transport model was created for use with the Monte Carlo software MCNP. EBT 3 film radiography was used to compare with Monte Carlo simulation to validate the board representation. The computational transport model was then revised to include connection pins, solder balls, highly attenuating internal structures, and copper trace distribution. Results from the revised model were compared to the EBT 3 films to observe improvements to dose profiles. It was found that this method was useful in verifying the placement of components, as the dose profiles were observed to follow the same trends. The experiment was then repeated using XRQA 2 films to achieve the same level of contrast with 1% the dose of EBT 3 films. It was found that high contrast may be achieved using these films to identify major issues with the model geometry, at a cost of dose profile accuracy. A second validation method was applied to the model using 37 CaF 2 thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). TLD measurements were compared with the simplified and complex transport models to identify the features that have the greatest impact on simulation accuracy. The TLD calibration to CaF 2 was found to be accurate within 5.6%, while calibration to dose in Si was found to be accurate within 4.7%. Finally, it was observed that the accurate representation of solder balls and proper modeling of highly attenuating internal structures had the greatest impact on simulation accuracy.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Long-lived contaminants in cyclotron-produced radiopharmaceuticals: measurement and dosimetry

Oxygenated target waters of cyclotron targets contain long-lived contaminants due to (p,n) reactions in the HAVAR target window that are spalled into the target water. These contaminants are largely removed during the synthesis of the final imaging agent. Currently the USP requires that the final drug product be 99.5% pure, so the total activity of the long-lived contaminants can be no more than 0.5% of the final radiopharmaceutical product. A method has been developed to identify and quantify the primary contaminants using high resolution gamma spectroscopy and VRF, a new spectrum analysis tool. Uptake, retention, and excretion functions for each of the contaminating isotopes in a soluble, injected chemical form have also been calculated using International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 123 models and are presented in the Appendices A and B of Electronic Supplementary Material. In addition, specific organ and effective dose coefficients were also calculated using ICRP Publication 103 tissue weighting factors and are also presented in the Appendices A and B of Electronic Supplementary Material. As a result, typical imaging agents have contaminant loads far below the USP limit and contribute negligible doses to the patients receiving the drugs.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2014

Dosimetry of an In-Line Kilovoltage Imaging System and Implementation in Treatment Planning

Purpose: To present the beam properties of the Siemens 70-kV and 121-kV linear accelerator-mounted imaging modalities and commissioning of the 121-kV beam in the Philips Pinnacle treatment planning system (TPS); measurements in an Alderson phantom were performed for verification of the model and to estimate the cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging dose in the head and neck, thorax, and pelvis. Methods and Materials: The beam profiles and depth–dose curve were measured in an acrylic phantom using thermoluminescent dosimeters and a soft x-ray ionization chamber. Measurements were imported into the TPS, modeled, and verified by phantom measurements. Results: Modeling of the profiles and the depth–dose curve can be achieved with good quality. Comparison with the measurements in the Alderson phantom is generally good; only very close to bony structures is the dose underestimated by the TPS. For a 200° arc CBCT of the head and neck, a maximum dose of 7 mGy is measured; the thorax and pelvis 360° CBCTs give doses of 4-10 mGy and 7-15 mGy, respectively. Conclusions: Dosimetric characteristics of the Siemens kVision imaging modalities are presented and modeled in the Pinnacle TPS. Thermoluminescent dosimeter measurements in the Alderson phantom agree well with the calculated TPS dose, validating the model and providing an estimate of the imaging dose for different protocols.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of Cerebellum Radiation Dosimetry on Cognitive Outcomes in Children With Infratentorial Ependymoma

Purpose: Cognitive decline is a recognized effect of radiation therapy (RT) in children treated for brain tumors. The importance of the cerebellum and its contribution to cognition have been recognized; however, the effect of RT on cerebellum-linked neurocognitive deficits has yet to be explored. Methods and Materials: Seventy-six children (39 males) at a median 3.3 years of age (range, 1-17 years old) were irradiated for infratentorial ependymoma from 1997 to 2008. The total prescribed dose was 54 to 59.4 Gy administered to the postoperative tumor bed with 5- or 10-mm clinical target volume margin. Age-appropriate cognitive and academic testing was performed prior to the start of RT and was then repeated at 6 months and annually throughout 5 years. The anterior and posterior cerebellum and other normal brain volumes were contoured on postcontrast, T1-weighted postoperative magnetic resonance images registered to treatment planning computed tomography images. Mean doses were calculated and used with time after RT and other clinical covariates to model their effect on neurocognitive test scores. Results: Considering only the statistically significant rates in longitudinal changes for test scores and models that included mean dose, there was a correlation between mean infratentorial dose and intelligence quotient (IQ; −0.190 patients/Gy/year; P=.001), math (−0.164 patients/Gy/year; P=.010), reading (−0.137 patients/Gy/year; P=.011), and spelling scores (−0.147 patients/Gy/year; P=.012), where Gy was measured as the difference between the mean dose received by an individual patient and the mean dose received by the patient group. There was a correlation between mean anterior cerebellum dose and IQ scores (−0.116 patients/Gy/year; P=.042) and mean posterior cerebellum dose and IQ (−0.150 patients/Gy/year; P=.002), math (−0.120 patients/Gy/year; P=.023), reading (−0.111 patients/Gy/year; P=.012), and spelling (−0.117 patients/Gy/year; P=.015) scores. Conclusions: Sparing portions of the cerebellum should be considered in RT planning for children with infratentorial ependymoma because of the potential impact of radiation dose on cognitive function.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Volumetric tumor burden and its effect on brachial plexus dosimetry in head and neck intensity-modulated radiotherapy

To determine the effect of gross tumor volume of the primary (GTV-P) and nodal (GTV-N) disease on planned radiation dose to the brachial plexus (BP) in head and neck intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Overall, 75 patients underwent definitive IMRT to a median total dose of 69.96 Gy in 33 fractions. The right BP and left BP were prospectively contoured as separate organs at risk. The GTV was related to BP dose using the unpaired t-test. Receiver operating characteristics curves were constructed to determine optimized volumetric thresholds of GTV-P and GTV-N corresponding to a maximum BP dose cutoff of > 66 Gy. Multivariate analyses were performed to account for factors associated with a higher maximal BP dose. A higher maximum BP dose (> 66 vs ≤ 66 Gy) correlated with a greater mean GTV-P (79.5 vs 30.8 cc; p = 0.001) and ipsilateral GTV-N (60.6 vs 19.8 cc; p = 0.014). When dichotomized by the optimized nodal volume, patients with an ipsilateral GTV-N ≥ 4.9 vs < 4.9 cc had a significant difference in maximum BP dose (64.2 vs 59.4 Gy; p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that an ipsilateral GTV-N ≥ 4.9 cc was an independent predictor for the BP to receive a maximal dose of > 66 Gy when adjusted individually for BP volume, GTV-P, the use of a low anterior neck field technique, total planned radiation dose, and tumor category. Although both the primary and the nodal tumor volumes affected the BP maximal dose, the ipsilateral nodal tumor volume (GTV-N ≥ 4.9 cc) was an independent predictor for high maximal BP dose constraints in head and neck IMRT.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dose conversion factors for absorbed dose in a mobile phone to absorbed dose in critical organs in an anthropomorphic phantom for emergency dosimetry applications: OSL and TL experimental results, and Monte Carlo simulations

Here, an anthropomorphic phantom was equipped with three smartphones and irradiated in five separate exposure geometries in air using a 137 Cs source. The phantom was fitted internally with thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD-700 chips) to measure the absorbed dose to the individual organs, while the absorbed doses in the phones were evaluated using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) from the phones’ surface mount resistors (SMRs), along with reference dosimeters, namely Luxel OSL films and TLD-700 chips. The results indicate a strong dependence on the phone location with respect to the source due to shielding and scattering from the body. Dose conversion factors were calculated for several plausible exposure scenarios in order to correlate the absorbed doses measured in the phones to the average body dose received by the phantom. The measured conversion factors were compared with calculated factors using MCNP6.2 Monte Carlo simulations and an ADAM voxel phantom. Experiments were conducted to assess how the phone orientation and angle impacts the dose received by the phone components. The overall results indicate that the doses measured can vary significantly depending upon exposure geometry (including phone position and angle). However, in rotational irradiation symmetry, the phone doses lead to an over-estimate of the average whole-body dose by an average of ~10%, independent of the phone locations tested in this study. This result, if confirmed in future studies, may be acceptable for triage.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development and testing of a fission-like neutron field for dosimetry and instrument calibrations based on deuterium-tritium generator

For nearly five decades 252 Cf sources have been used for testing and calibration over a wide range of neutron detection devices used for nuclear safety and radiation protection. However, the vastly increased cost of 252 Cf sources, its short half-life, and concerns about future shortage have prompted nuclear facilities and radiological calibration laboratories that rely on high-intensity neutron sources to seek alternatives. There appear to be no other radionuclide neutron sources that would match “like-to-like” 252 Cf performance characteristics. Alternatives of producing a fission-like neutron spectrum based on commercially available deuterium-tritium (D-T) generators, and without any fissionable materials or beryllium, have been explored. This paper describes efforts of designing the spectrum shaping assembly, its construction and installation. The produced neutron field was evaluated both from the perspective of the neutron fluence spectrum and the resulting dosimetric outcome. Finally, it was tested for practical application by examining response of various health physics instruments and personal monitoring devices in comparison to the response of those devices when exposed to 252 Cf. In conclusion, the response of survey-type instruments tested within the prototype, surrogate fission, reference field are acceptably close to their response in the targeted 252 Cf field.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Conception and realization of a parallel-plate free-air ionization chamber for the absolute dosimetry of an ultrasoft X-ray beam

We report the design of a millimeter-sized parallel plate free-air ionization chamber (IC) aimed at determining the absolute air kerma rate of an ultra-soft X-ray beam (E = 1.5 keV). The size of the IC was determined so that the measurement volume satisfies the condition of charged-particle equilibrium. The correction factors necessary to properly measure the absolute kerma using the IC have been established. Particular attention was given to the determination of the effective mean energy for the 1.5 keV photons using the PENELOPE code. Other correction factors were determined by means of computer simulation (COMSOL™and FLUKA). Measurements of air kerma rates under specific operating parameters of the lab-bench X-ray source have been performed at various distances from that source and compared to Monte Carlo calculations. We show that the developed ionization chamber makes it possible to determine accurate photon fluence rates in routine work and will constitute substantial time-savings for future radiobiological experiments based on the use of ultra-soft X-rays.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Why diamond dimensions and electrode geometry are crucial for small photon beam dosimetry

Recent use of very small photon beams (down to 4 mm) in stereotactic radiotherapy requires new detectors to accurately determine the delivered dose. Diamond detectors have been presented in the literature as an attractive candidate for this application, due to their small detection volume and the diamond atomic number (Z = 6) which is close to water effective atomic number (Zeff ∼ 7.42). However, diamond exhibits a density 3.51 times greater than that of water and recent studies using Monte Carlo simulations have demonstrated the drawback of a high-density detector on small beam output factors. The current study focuses on geometrical parameters of diamond detector, namely, the diamond dimensions and the electrode geometry, in order to solve the dosimetric issues still observed in small photon beams with diamond detectors. To give better insights to these open questions, we have used both computational method and experimental analysis. This study highlighted that reducing diamond dimensions is crucial for small beam output factor measurements and to limit the influence of its high density. Furthermore, electrodes covering the whole diamond surface were essential for a dose rate independence of the diamond detector. The optimal dosimeter derived from this work presented small diamond dimensions of approximately 1 × 1 × 0.15 mm{sup 3}, with diamond-like-carbon electrodes covering the whole diamond surface. A dose rate independence of this diamond detector (better than 0.5% over a wide range of dose rates available on a stereotactic dedicated facility) was obtained due to the electrode geometry. Concerning the output factor measurements, a good agreement (better than 1.1%) was observed between this carbon material detector and two types of passive dosimeters (LiF microcubes and EBT2 radiochromic films) for all beam sizes except the smallest field of 0.6 × 0.6 cm{sup 2} with a deviation of 2.6%. This new study showed the high performance of this diamond detector in small photon beams, in comparison with various commercially available passive and active dosimeters.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2016

What happens when spins meet for ionizing radiation dosimetry?

Electron spin resonance (ESR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to measure radiation dose deposited in different milieu through its effects. Radiation can break chemical bonds and if they produce stable free radicals, ESR can measure their concentration through their spins and a dose can be inferred. Ionizing radiation can also promote polymerization and in this case proton relaxation times can be measured and an image weighed by T2 can be produced giving spatial information about dose. A review of the basics of these applications is presented concluding with an end-to-end test using a composite Gel-Alanine phantom to validate 3-dimensionally dose distribution delivered in a simulation of Volume Modulated Arch Therapy on the simultaneous treatment of multiple brain metastases. The results obtained with the gel and alanine dosimeters are consistent with the expected by the treatment planning system, showing the potential of this multidosimetric approach and validating dosimetrically the multiple brain metastases treatment using VMAT.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Thermoluminescence and phototransferred thermoluminescence dosimetry on mobile phone protective touchscreen glass

Thermoluminescence and phototransferred thermoluminescence measurements of protective glass from smartphones are described. Samples of Gorilla Glass were examined from nine different manufacturers and 40 different phone models. Additionally, 12 glasses believed to be original equipment manufacturer replacements, as well as three glass samples from U.S. finishers, were also studied. Altogether, 99 different Gorilla Glass samples were examined. The radiation-induced thermoluminescence signal produced glow curve shapes specific to the Gorilla Glass generations and could be used to distinguish between them. A background thermoluminescence (and phototransferred thermoluminescence) signal was found in all unirradiated samples. Its intensity and shape were found to be dependent on the Gorilla Glass generation, phone manufacturer, and phone model. The background signal was demonstrated to be produced by ultraviolet light exposure; the shape of the background signal was able to be reproduced by the combined exposure to a broad-spectrum solar simulator and a 302 nm ultraviolet light source. The background signal intensity was found to vary with the location from which it was taken on the glass. It was also found to be dependent on the depth within the Gorilla Glass due to absorption of the ultraviolet light as it traversed the medium. Removal of the glasses’ surface layers was found to be an inadequate method for removing the background signal. In some samples, the background signal intensity was large enough to significantly contribute to the total thermoluminescence (and phototransferred thermoluminescence) signal; therefore, a matrix deconvolution method was introduced to separate the background signal and radiation-induced signal. This method was found to enable dose reconstruction using the radiation-induced signal alone.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗