Electret dosimeters and their applications in radiation measurements

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)

OSTI ID:6875936

Kotrappa, P; Dempsey, J C; Ramsey, R W

An electret is a charged Teflon disk carrying a quasi-permanent electrical charge. It is not significantly affected by normal temperature, humidity, or mechanical shocks. It is characterized by its effective surface voltage and thickness. It can be measured easily by a noncontact induction technique using a special meter capable of correctly measuring the surface voltage to within 1 V. A practical electret dosimeter consists of a 200-ml electrically conducting plastic chamber with a charged electret screwed into the bottom. It therefore functions as an integrating ionization chamber wherein the electret serves not only as a source of electric field but also as a sensor. It gives a nearly linear response over a range of electret surface voltage from 200 to 700 V. The drop in surface voltage over a period of time is an index of the time-integrated ionization over that period. A single electret can be reused several times due to the noncontact nature of an electret reading. By proper choice of the thickness of the electret, it is possible to control the sensitivity and range of the measurement. The paper discusses x- and gamma-radiation measurement, radon measurement, other radon-related measurements, and other applications.

• OSTI ID: 6875936
• Report Number(s): CONF-891103--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA) Journal Volume: 60
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440102* -- Radiation Instrumentation-- Radiation Dosemeters
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
AIR SAMPLERS
ALPHA DOSIMETRY
ALPHA PARTICLES
BETA DOSIMETRY
BETA PARTICLES
CALIBRATION
CHARGED PARTICLES
DETECTION
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
DIMENSIONS
DOSEMETERS
DOSIMETRY
ELECTRETS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FLUIDS
GAMMA DOSIMETRY
GAMMA RADIATION
GASES
INDUCTION
IONIZATION CHAMBERS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NONMETALS
PERFORMANCE
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATIONS
RADON
RARE GASES
SAMPLERS
SENSITIVITY
X RADIATION
X-RAY DOSIMETRY