IEC TS 62743:2012

Radiation protection instrumentation - Electronic counting dosemeters for pulsed fields of ionizing radiation

IEC/TS 62743:2012(E) applies to all types of counting dosemeters, irrespective of the measuring quantity and the type of radiation intended to be measured. It ensures that a single radiation pulse can be correctly measured even if the dosemeter is in the internal state relevant for measuring background or environmental radiation. The characteristics of the dosemeter for repeated pulses is expected to be better than for one single radiation pulse with the same parameters but worse than for continuous radiation, i.e., in between of the characteristics for these two extreme conditions. Considers the pulsation of the radiation field as an additional influence quantity like particle energy and direction of radiation incidence. Therefore, the tests described are additional to all the tests in the respective standards.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 18-Sep-2012
• ICS: 13.280 - Radiation protection
• ICS: 31.220 - Electromechanical components for electronic and telecommunications equipment
• Technical Committee: SC 45B - Radiation protection instrumentation
• Drafting Committee: WG 8 - TC 45/SC 45B/WG 8
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 19-Sep-2012
• Completion Date: 15-Nov-2012

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC/TS 62743 ®
Edition 1.0 2012-09
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
Radiation protection instrumentation – Electronic counting dosemeters for
pulsed fields of ionizing radiation

IEC/TS 62743:2012(E)
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IEC/TS 62743 ®
Edition 1.0 2012-09
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
Radiation protection instrumentation – Electronic counting dosemeters for

pulsed fields of ionizing radiation

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
PRICE CODE
T
ICS 13.280 ISBN 978-2-83220-364-4

– 2 – TS 62743  IEC:2012(E)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 8
2 Normative references . 9
3 Terms and definitions, abbreviations and symbols, quantities and units . 9
3.1 Terms and definitions . 9
3.2 List of symbols and abbreviations . 11
3.3 Quantities and units . 12
4 General test procedure . 13
4.1 Nature of test . 13
4.2 Reference conditions and standard test conditions . 13
5 General requirements . 13
5.1 Summary of requirements . 13
5.2 Parameters required to be known of the pulsed radiation field . 13
5.3 Parameters required to be determined of the counting dosemeter . 13
5.4 Criteria for suitability of a dosemeter in pulsed radiation fields . 13
5.4.1 General . 13
5.4.2 Radiation pulse duration larger than or equal to the dead time: t
pulse
≥ t . 14
dead
5.4.3 Radiation pulse duration shorter than the dead time: t < t . 14
pulse dead
5.5 Type of radiation . 14
5.6 Mechanical characteristics . 14
5.7 Requirements to software, data and interfaces . 14
6 Radiation detection requirements . 15
6.1 General . 15
6.2 Indication of the dose rate and the number of counts . 15
6.2.1 Requirements . 15
6.2.2 Method of test . 15
6.2.3 Interpretation of the results . 16
6.3 Measurement cycle time, T . 16
cycle
6.3.1 Requirements . 16
6.3.2 Method of test . 16
6.3.3 Interpretation of the results . 17
6.4 Indication per counting event, G . 17
count
6.4.1 Requirements . 17
6.4.2 Method of test . 17
6.4.3 Interpretation of the results . 17
6.5 Dead time, t . 17
dead
6.5.1 Requirements . 17
6.5.2 Method of test . 17
6.5.3 Interpretation of the results . 18

6.6 Maximum measurable dose rate value, H . 18
count, max
6.6.1 Requirements . 18
6.6.2 Method of test . 19
6.6.3 Interpretation of the results . 19

TS 62743  IEC:2012(E) – 3 –
6.7 Pulse dose rate overload alarm . 19
6.7.1 General . 19
6.7.2 Requirements . 19
6.7.3 Method of test . 19
6.7.4 Interpretation of the results . 19
6.8 Proof of model function and pulse overload alarm . 20
6.8.1 General . 20
6.8.2 Requirements . 20
6.8.3 Method of test . 20
6.8.4 Interpretation of the results . 20
7 Environmental requirements . 21
8 Mechanical requirements . 21
9 Electromagnetic requirements . 21
10 Documentation . 21
10.1 Operation and maintenance manual . 21
10.2 Type test report . 21
Annex A (informative) Parameter values for typical workplaces where pulsed radiation
occurs . 23
Annex B (informative) Parameters characterizing the pulsed radiation field . 24
Bibliography . 25

Table 1 – Symbols and abbreviated terms . 12
Table 2 – Reference conditions and standard test conditions for tests using pulsed
radiation . 22
Table 3 – Characteristics of counting dosemeters used in pulsed fields of ionizing
radiation . 22
Table A.1 – Parameter values for workplaces where pulsed radiation occurs, as of
2012 . 23

– 4 – TS 62743  IEC:2012(E)
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
RADIATION PROTECTION INSTRUMENTATION –
ELECTRONIC COUNTING DOSEMETERS
FOR PULSED FIELDS OF IONIZING RADIATION

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
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9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
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The main task of IEC technical committees is to prepare International Standards. In
exceptional circumstances, a technical committee may propose the publication of a technical
specification when
• the required support cannot be obtained for the publication of an International Standard,
despite repeated efforts, or
• the subject is still under technical development or where, for any other reason, there is the
future but no immediate possibility of an agreement on an International Standard.
Technical specifications are subject to review within three years of publication to decide
whether they can be transformed into International Standards.
IEC 62743, which is a technical specification, has been prepared by subcommittee 45B:
Radiation protection instrumentation, of IEC technical committee 45: Nuclear instrumentation.

TS 62743  IEC:2012(E) – 5 –
The text of this technical specification is based on the following documents:
Enquiry draft Report on voting
45B/706/DTS 45B/726A/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this technical specification can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• transformed into an International standard,
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.

– 6 – TS 62743  IEC:2012(E)
INTRODUCTION
The specification and determination of the special characteristics required for dosemeters to
be used in pulsed fields of ionizing radiation have been excluded from all standards for direct
reading personal and environmental dosemeters issued before 2012 for radiation protection
purposes. These standards only specify characteristics for continuous radiation. This Techni-
cal Specification provides the necessary information for the measurement of one single radia-
tion pulse, which is the most difficult situation to be measured. The characteristics of a dose-
meter for repeated pulses is expected to be better than for one single radiation pulse with the
same parameters but worse than for continuous radiation, i.e., in between of the characteris-
tics for these two extreme conditions. This Technical Specification applies for such direct
reading dosemeters that use pulse counting for the determination of the measured dose
value. Dosemeters that use delayed pulses, e.g., due to activation by neutrons, are excluded.
The concept is similar to the concept used for other influence quantities, e.g., radiation
energy. The workplace is characterized by the parameter range occurring at that workplace,
i.e., in the case of energy the expected possible values of radiation energy. It can then be
determined if the dosemeter under consideration can be used. The required parameters for a
workplace where pulsed radiation occurs are
– the minimum value of the radiation pulse duration, t , occurring at the workplace,
pulse, min

– the maximum value of the dose rate during the radiation pulse, H , occurring at the
pulse,max
workplace,
– the maximum value of the dose per radiation pulse, H , occurring at the
pulse, max
workplace.
The parameters to be determined by the type test of the counting dosemeter are

– the maximum value of the measurable dose rate in the pulse, H ,
count,max
– the dead time of the detector, t
dead,
– the dose indication per each counting event which is registered by the dosemeter
electronics, G ,
count
– the type of the dead time, i.e., extendable or non-extendable dead time, and finally
– the measurement cycle time of the dosemeter, T .
cycle
In principle, the parameters resulting from the type test could be determined using continuous
radiation fields if the detector is connected to a simple, linear and straight forward counting
electronics. But nearly any counting dosemeter exhibits one or more of the following
properties. It
– uses internal range switching,
– uses software to correct for known deficiencies, e.g., the dead time or the radiation
energy,
– uses special, proprietary algorithms,

– adjusts the measurement cycle time, T , to the dose rate, G , measured by the
dose
cycle
dosemeter,
– mitigates the effect of EMC-pulses and mechanical drops.
All these properties could affect the results when determining the characteristics for pulsed
radiation fields by using continuous radiation fields. The conclusion is that measurements
using pulsed radiation fields are required for testing of dosemeters.
As a help to the user to judge whether or not the dosemeter under consideration can be used,
Table A.1 in the informative Annex A gives some parameter values for typical workplaces

TS 62743  IEC:2012(E) – 7 –
where pulsed radiation occurs. They are based on the knowledge available in 2012 and may
change with the next generation of pulsed radiation generating equipment.
This Technical Specification contains much information for which worldwide experience is not
available at the date of its development. Therefore, it was decided to publish it as a Technical
Specification. It is expected that within the next years this experience will be gained and then
maintenance of this publication could lead to an International Standard.

– 8 – TS 62743  IEC:2012(E)
RADIATION PROTECTION INSTRUMENTATION –
ELECTRONIC COUNTING DOSEMETERS
FOR PULSED FIELDS OF IONIZING RADIATION

1 Scope
This Technical Specification applies to all types of counting dosemeters, irrespective of the
measuring quantity and the type of radiation intended to be measured. It ensures that a single
radiation pulse can be correctly measured even if the dosemeter is in the internal state
relevant for measuring background or environmental radiation. The characteristics of the
dosemeter for repeated pulses is expected to be better than for one single radiation pulse
with the same parameters but worse than for continuous radiation, i.e., in between of the
characteristics for these two extreme conditions. This Technical Specification does not specify
the characteristics of the dosemeter for repeated pulses. The Technical Specification does not
apply for those types of counting dosemeters that either
– do not have an indication or software read-out of the dose rate and the number of pulses
counted,
– convert the non-pulsed detector signal to counts by a converter, or
– use nuclear reactions to generate long and nearly continuous secondary radiation fields
which then are measured by the dosemeter using counting techniques instead of
measuring the direct radiation pulse.
The pulsed radiation source is characterized by the parameters
– radiation pulse duration, t ,
pulse

– pulse peak dose rate, H ,
pulse,peak
– dose per radiation pulse, H .
pulse
This Technical Specification considers the pulsation of the radiation field as an additional
influence quantity like particle energy and direction of radiation incidence. Therefore, the tests
described are additional to all the tests in the respective standards.
This technical specification describes methods to determine the characteristic parameters of
the counting dosemeter. A prerequisite of the method is that the model function of the dose-
meter can sufficiently be approximated by
G = G × n × k (1)
dose count count dead
where G is the dose indication of the dosemeter,
dose
G is the dose indication per counting event,
count
n is the number of counting events counted by the dosemeter, and
count
k is the correction for dead time losses.
dead
This simplified model function should not fully describe the dosemeter but it should be valid
only – maybe with effective values – for the tests in the case of a single pulse occurring when
the dosemeter is in the internal state relevant for measuring background or environmental
radiation, i.e., the dosemeter has not performed any specific parameter adjustment for high
dose rate. In this sense this simplified model function uses effective parameters specific for
pulsed radiation.
This technical specification is applicable to all types of radiation for which a suitable pulsed
reference field is available and all other requirements are fulfilled.

TS 62743  IEC:2012(E) – 9 –
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60050 (all parts), International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (available at
http://www.electropedia.org)
ISO 4037-3:1999, X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate
meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy – Part 3: Calibration
of area and personal dosemeters and the measurement of their response as a function of
energy and angle of incidence
th
The International System of Units, 8 edition, International Bureau of Weights and Measures,
2006.
3 Terms and definitions, abbreviations and symbols, quantities and units
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 60050-395 and the
following apply.
3.1.1
continuous radiation
ionizing radiation with a constant dose rate at a given point in
space for time intervals longer than 10 s, if the power-on and -off processes are neglected
Note 1 to entry: The time span of 10 s is taken from type test requirements of IEC 61526:2010 and
IEC 60846-1:2009 that the dosemeter shall be capable of detecting changes in the dose rate within 10 s.
3.1.2
counting event
ionizing interaction by which one count is produced by the dosemeter electronics
Note 1 to entry: Adapted from IEC 60050-531:1974, 531-13-01.
3.1.3
dead time correction
correction to be applied to the observed number of counting events in order to take into
account the number of counting events lost due to the dead time
Note 1 to entry: Adapted from IEC 60050-394:2007, 394-39-22.
3.1.4
dead time
t
dead
time interval after the initiation of a counting event caused by an ionizing event, during which
a dosemeter operating in pulse mode cannot respond to a further ionizing event
Note 1 to entry: Adapted from IEC 60050-394:2007, 394-38-50.
___________
To be published. IEC 60050-395 will replace and cancel IEC 60050-393 and IEC 60050-394.

– 10 – TS 62743  IEC:2012(E)
3.1.5
dose of a radiation pulse
H
pulse
dose value attributed to one radiation pulse
3.1.6
dose indication
G
dose
indication of the counting dosemeter in terms of dose
3.1.7
dose indication per counting event
G
count
indication increment of the counting dosemeter for one counting event
3.1.8
dose rate indication

G
dose
indication of the counting dosemeter in terms of dose rate
3.1.9
extendable dead time
paralyzable dead time
dead time that is extended if further ionizing events occur during the dead time interval
3.1.10
internal state
soft and hardware parameters set internally (by the dosemeter)
EXAMPLE When the dosemeter is for a long time span not exposed to any artificial radiation then the sensitivity
and the cycle time are set to the maximum values to indicate the dose value with the highest resolution possible
and to reduce the coefficient of variation of the indication.
3.1.11
ionizing event
any interaction by which one or more ions are produced
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-531:1974, 531-13-01]
3.1.12
maximum measurable dose rate in the pulse

H
count, max
maximum value of the radiation pulse peak dose rate which can be measured by the counting
dosemeter without exceeding stated maximum errors
3.1.13
maximum pulse dose
H
pulse,max
maximum value of the dose of a radiation pulse occurring at a given workplace
3.1.14
maximum pulse peak dose rate

H
pulse, max
maximum value of the pulse peak dose rate occurring at a given workplace

TS 62743  IEC:2012(E) – 11 –
3.1.15
measurement cycle time
T
cycle
time interval required by the counting dosemeter for one sequence of the repeated operations
to determine the actual value of the indication
3.1.16
non-extendable dead time
non-paralyzable dead time
dead time that is not extended if further ionizing events occur during the dead time interval
3.1.17
pulsed radiation
ionizing radiation which never has a constant dose rate at a
given point in space for time intervals longer than 10 s
3.1.18
radiation pulse
abrupt variation of short duration of the radiation dose rate from zero followed by a rapid
return to zero
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-702:1992, 702-03-01, modified – The term “pulse” given in
IEC 60050-702 has been replaced by “radiation pulse” and the words “a physical quantity”
and “the initial value” given in IEC 60050-702 have been replaced by “the radiation dose rate
from zero” and “zero”.]
3.1.19
radiation pulse duration
radiation pulse width
t
pulse
interval of time between the first and last instants at which the instantaneous value of a pulse
reaches a specified fraction of its pulse magnitude or a specified threshold
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-702:1992, 702-03-04, modified – The terms “pulse duration” and “pulse
width” given in IEC 60050-702 have been replaced by “radiation pulse duration” and “radiation
pulse width” and a symbol has been added.]
3.1.20
radiation pulse peak time
pulse peak time
interval of time between the first and last instants at which the instantaneous dose rate value
of a pulse reaches 80 % of its radiation pulse peak dose rate
3.1.21
radiation pulse peak dose rate
pulse peak dose rate

H
pulse, peak
mean value of the dose rate during the radiation pulse peak time
3.2 List of symbols and abbreviations
Table 1 gives a list of the symbols and abbreviated terms used.
...