Two miniaturised TEPCS in a single detector for BNCT microdosimetry

• Published in: Radiation protection dosimetry Vol. 122; no. 1-4; pp. 396 - 400
• Main Authors: Moro, D., Colautti, P., Gualdrini, G., Masi, M., Conte, V., De Nardo, L., Tornielli, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01-12-2006
• Subjects: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy - instrumentation; Boron Neutron Capture Therapy - methods; Computer-Aided Design; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure Analysis; Miniaturization; Neutrons - therapeutic use; Radiometry - instrumentation; Radiometry - methods; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Systems Integration; Transducers
• ISSN: 0144-8420; 1742-3406
• DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncl484

Microdosimetry with tissue-equivalent proportional counters (TEPC) has proven to be an ideal dosimetry technique for mixed radiation fields as those ones used in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). A new counter, composed of two twin cylindrical mini TEPCs inserted in a slim titanium sleeve of 2.7 mm external diameter, has been constructed. The detector has been designed to perform dosimetry and microdosimetry in intense radiation fields. The two mini TEPCs work in gas flow mode. They have right cylinder sensitive volumes of 0.9 mm. In spite of gas line tiny sizes, the gas pressure inside the two counters is well established with <1% of uncertainty. The counter has been calibrated in a secondary standard photon fields. The mean of the effective sensitive volume sizes has been measured to be 0.86 mm. The twin TEPC acquisition system processes properly the signals up to about 30 kHz of counting rate. Therefore, twin TEPC can perform dosimetric measurements in photon field with intensities of some tens of Gy h−1.