Initial and volume recombination losses in gamma versatile ionization chamber VGIC for gamma ray dosimetry

Mohamed Fares; Adnane Messai; Mohammed Messaoudi; Kassida Negara; Mohamed Yacine Debili; Samir Begaa

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109794

Initial and volume recombination losses in gamma versatile ionization chamber VGIC for gamma ray dosimetry

Appl Radiat Isot. 2021 Sep:175:109794. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109794. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Authors

Mohamed Fares¹, Adnane Messai², Mohammed Messaoudi³, Kassida Negara⁴, Mohamed Yacine Debili⁵, Samir Begaa⁶

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Nuclear Detectors, Department Detection and Measurement, Nuclear Research Centre of Birine, P.o.Box 180, Ain Oussera, 17200, Djelfa, Algeria. Electronic address: fares2005_fr@yahoo.fr.
² Laboratory of Nuclear Detectors, Department Detection and Measurement, Nuclear Research Centre of Birine, P.o.Box 180, Ain Oussera, 17200, Djelfa, Algeria. Electronic address: messai_adnane@yahoo.fr.
³ Reactor Chemistry Department, Nuclear Research Centre of Birine, P.o. Box 180, Ain Oussera, 17200, Djelfa, Algeria. Electronic address: messaoudi2006@yahoo.fr.
⁴ Laboratory of Nuclear Detectors, Department Detection and Measurement, Nuclear Research Centre of Birine, P.o.Box 180, Ain Oussera, 17200, Djelfa, Algeria. Electronic address: negarakassida@yahoo.fr.
⁵ LM2S, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, University of Badji Mokhtar - Annaba, P.O. Box. BP 12, Annaba, 23000, Algeria. Electronic address: debilimydebili@yahoo.fr.
⁶ Reactor Chemistry Department, Nuclear Research Centre of Birine, P.o. Box 180, Ain Oussera, 17200, Djelfa, Algeria. Electronic address: samirbegaa@yahoo.fr.

PMID: 34111648
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109794

Abstract

A versatile gamma ionization chamber (VGIC) has been designed, developed and characterized, in order to study experimentally its characteristics according to the geometry of the electrodes, the volume and pressure of the filler gas for the design of a gamma sealed chamber. The tests were conducted under the IEC (International Electro-technical Commission). The results obtained in various nuclear tests of the characterization and calibration of the ionization chamber gamma VGIC developed at our laboratory were presented in this paper. Three irradiators were operated, irradiator intensive gamma (⁶⁰Co: 1.25 MeV), medium intensive gamma (¹³⁷Cs: 0.662 MeV) and low-intensity gamma (⁶⁰Co). Saturation curves and linearity were identified and the operating range and the sensitivity of the chamber have been deducted. The current, voltage (I,V) characteristics of the chamber filled, with argon gas at 0.4 M pa pressure, for gamma ray irradiator sources were studied, the chamber was irradiated with gamma rays using different gamma sources. The plateau region is reached above 200 V and the detector operating voltage is found to be 600V. It is observed that in the plateau region the slope is constant with an increase in the exposure rate. The (1/I, 1/V) and (I, l/V²) characteristic curves reveal the presence of the initial and volume recombination losses. The volume recombination losses are found to be smaller than the initial recombination losses.

Keywords: Calibration; Dose rate; Flux gamma; Gamma ionization chamber; Initial and volume recombination; Sensitivity.