7-11 July 2019
EV59 - PEP M4: Title: How to Choose the Correct Portable Radiation Detection Instrument for Your Needs (Kenoyer)Orange B 12:15 - 14:15 |
| Over the past 5 years, the presenter has had many, many discussions with radiation-protection peers and students of Radiation Safety Officer classes with regard to the factors that go into the decision on how to choose the correct portable radiation detection instruments for specific needs. Most of those needs fall into two categories – exposure rate measurements or contamination (activity) measurements. During this PEP session, we will discuss basic principles of radiation detection (mainly for gas ionization and scintillation detectors), several different types of instruments (ion chambers, gas proportional counters, GM, NaI, plastic scintillators), and factors that can affect instrument readings (temperature, ambient pressure, humidity, type of window and thickness, background, radiation absorption, calibration conditions, energy dependence, geometry, and speed of movement). By comparing the specific needs to be met, the characteristics of the radiation being measured (or what is known or unknown about the radiation field) and the features of different portable radiation detection instruments, one can follow a fairly straightforward path to determine the types of instruments that can meet your needs and also establish a prioritization of choices within the types of instruments that will give you the best results for your situation. |
