Establishment of a low dose rate gamma ray calibration field for environmental radiation monitoring devices

Kowatari, Munehiko; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi   ; Nishino, Sho   ; Tanimura, Yoshihiko   ; Oishi, Tetsuya ; Kessler, P.*; Neumaier, S.*; Rttger, A.*

A low dose rate Cs gamma ray calibration field that fully satisfies the requirement of the ISO 4037 series was established in the Facility of Radiation Standards in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Two different methods were employed to determine the reference air kerma rate, namely a conventional ionization chamber and a G(E) function method used a newly developed scintillation spectrometer. To fulfill the requirement of the ISO 4037 and suppress scattering of Cs gamma ray within the room as far as possible, a suitable lead collimator was introduced to limit the irradiation area at test points and placed at the middle height in an irradiation room with a grating floor. From measured results evaluated reference air kerma rates between 1.0 m and 3.0 m from the center of the source, gamma ray scattering from the room structures was found to be negligible. The resulting Cs gamma ray calibration field could provide ambient dose equivalent rates of 0.7-7.2 Sv h for use with environmental radiation monitoring devices.