IEC 61017:2016

IEC 61017 ®
Edition 1.0 2016-02
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Radiation protection instrumentation – Transportable, mobile or installed
equipment to measure photon radiation for environmental monitoring

Instrumentation pour la radioprotection – Equipement transportable, mobile
ou installé pour mesurer le rayonnement de photons pour la surveillance de
l'environnement
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IEC 61017 ®
Edition 1.0 2016-02
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Radiation protection instrumentation – Transportable, mobile or installed

equipment to measure photon radiation for environmental monitoring

Instrumentation pour la radioprotection – Equipement transportable, mobile

ou installé pour mesurer le rayonnement de photons pour la surveillance de

l'environnement
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 13.280 ISBN 978-2-8322-3160-9

– 2 – IEC 61017:2016  IEC 2016
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 5
INTRODUCTION . 7
1 Scope . 8
2 Normative references. 9
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviations, symbols, quantities and units . 10
3.1 Terms and definitions . 10
3.2 Test nomenclature . 12
3.3 Abbreviations and symbols . 13
3.4 Quantities and units . 13
4 General test procedure . 13
4.1 Nature of tests . 13
4.2 Reference conditions and standard test conditions . 13
4.3 Radiation performance tests . 13
4.4 Tests performed with variation of influence quantities . 13
4.5 Statistical fluctuations . 14
4.6 Reference radiation . 14
4.7 Point of test . 14
5 General requirements . 14
5.1 Summary of requirements . 14
5.2 General characteristics . 14
5.2.1 Energy and measurement range . 14
5.2.2 Effective range of dose rate and dose . 14
5.2.3 Ease of decontamination . 15
5.3 Equipment configuration . 15
5.4 Alarm facilities . 15
6 Radiation detection requirements . 15
6.1 Linearity . 15
6.1.1 Requirements . 15
6.1.2 Test source of photon radiation . 16
6.2 Variation of response with photon radiation energy . 16
6.2.1 Requirements . 16
6.2.2 Method of test . 17
6.3 Variation of response with angle of incidence . 17
6.3.1 General . 17
6.3.2 Requirements . 17
6.3.3 Method of test . 18
6.4 Overload characteristics . 18
6.4.1 Requirements . 18
6.4.2 Method of test . 18
6.5 Statistical fluctuations . 19
6.5.1 Requirements . 19
6.5.2 Method of test . 19
6.6 Response time . 19
6.6.1 Requirements . 19
6.6.2 Method of test . 19
6.7 Alarm requirements . 20

6.7.1 Requirements . 20
6.7.2 Method of test . 21
6.8 Alarm response time and stability . 21
6.8.1 Requirements . 21
6.8.2 Method of test . 21
6.9 Warm-up . 21
6.9.1 Requirements . 21
6.9.2 Method of test . 21
7 Electrical, mechanical and environmental characteristics . 22
7.1 Power supplies . 22
7.1.1 Mains operation . 22
7.1.2 Battery operation . 22
7.2 Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) . 23
7.2.1 General . 23
7.2.2 Electrostatic discharge . 23
7.2.3 General radiated electromagnetic fields . 23
7.2.4 Conducted disturbances induced by fast transients or bursts . 24
7.2.5 Conducted disturbances induced by surges . 24
7.2.6 Conducted disturbances induced by radio-frequencies . 25
7.2.7 Ring wave immunity . 25
7.2.8 50 Hz/60 Hz magnetic field . 26
7.2.9 Voltage dips and short interruptions . 26
7.3 Mechanical characteristics . 26
7.3.1 Microphonics/impact . 26
7.3.2 Mechanical shock . 27
7.4 Environmental characteristics . 27
7.4.1 Ambient temperature . 27
7.4.2 Relative humidity . 28
7.4.3 Sealing . 28
8 Documentation . 29
8.1 Type test report . 29
8.2 Certificate . 29
8.3 Operation and maintenance manual . 29
Annex A (informative) Example types of detectors and their characteristics . 36
A.1 Ionization chamber . 36
A.2 GM counter . 36
A.3 Scintillation detector . 36
A.4 Semiconductor detector . 36
Annex B (informative) Introduction of spectrum-weight G-function . 37
Annex C (informative) Specification and configuration of the system using two types of
detector . 39
C.1 Combination of NaI type and ionization chamber type . 39
C.2 Combination of NaI type and semiconductor type . 40
Annex D (informative) Calibration of dose rate and dose meters . 41

Figure 1 – Example of the rotation of the detector assembly . 18
Figure B.1 – Calculated spectrum-weight G-function (pSv/count) as a function of
–2
photon energy, compared with the detection efficiency (count/cm ) and the fluence-

– 4 – IEC 61017:2016  IEC 2016
–2
to-ambient-dose-equivalent conversion coefficient (pSv/cm ) for the NaI(Tl)
scintillator (12,7 mm diameter and 12,7 mm thick cylinder) . 38

Table 1 – Reference conditions and standard test conditions . 30
Table 2 – Radiation performance tests . 31
Table 3 – Classification of electricity, mechanical, and environmental testing . 32
Table 4 – Tests performed with variations of influence quantities . 33
Table 5 – Maximum values of additional indications due to electromagnetic
disturbances . 34

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
RADIATION PROTECTION INSTRUMENTATION –
TRANSPORTABLE, MOBILE OR INSTALLED EQUIPMENT TO MEASURE
PHOTON RADIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
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Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
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4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard 61017 has been prepared by subcommittee 45B: Radiation protection
instrumentation, of IEC technical committee 45: Nuclear instrumentation.
This first edition of IEC 61017 cancels and replaces the first edition of IEC 61017-1, published
in 1991, and the first edition of IEC 61017-2, published in 1994. It constitutes a technical
revision.
The main technical changes with the previous editions are as follows:
– this standard explicitly describes air absorbed dose and dose rate, ambient dose
equivalent dose and dose rate, in addition to air kerma and kerma rate;
– this standard includes the description of the typical detector types for use in environmental
monitoring.
– 6 – IEC 61017:2016  IEC 2016
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
45B/825/FDIS 45B/837/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard 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 website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
INTRODUCTION
Exposure of members of the public to ionizing radiation produced by nuclear and other
facilities is subject to control. An essential part of control is the measurement of the
environmental radiation levels in the neighborhood of these facilities .
The evaluation of the environmental radiation dose from photons is difficult. The composition
of the background radiation is complex and includes contributions from natural sources such
as cosmic radiation and terrestrial radioactivity in addition to man-made radioactivity arising
from the operation of nuclear facilities and fall-out from nuclear weapon tests. This, if further
complicated by the variation in the natural background radiation dose, varies in time due to
variation in ambient radon concentrations and space due to spatial heterogeneity of the
natural environmental background.
The requirements specified in this standard relate to normal operations of the assembly.
Should an assembly be required for emergency conditions on-site at nuclear facilities then the
requirements of IEC 60846-2 should also be applied to the assembly, particularly with regard
to overload characteristics. The requirements for portable work place monitors to measure
ambient and/or directional dose equivalent (rate) are specified in IEC 60846-1.

– 8 – IEC 61017:2016  IEC 2016
RADIATION PROTECTION INSTRUMENTATION –
TRANSPORTABLE, MOBILE OR INSTALLED EQUIPMENT TO MEASURE
PHOTON RADIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

1 Scope
This International Standard is applicable to transportable, mobile or installed assemblies
intended to measure environmental air kerma rates or air absorbed dose rates from
–1 –1 –1 –1
30 nGy⋅h to 30 µGy⋅h or ambient dose equivalent rates from 30 nSv⋅h to 30 µSv⋅h , or
air kerma or air absorbed dose from 10 nGy to 10 mGy, or ambient dose equivalent from
10 nSv to 10 mSv, due to photon radiation of energy between 50 keV and 7 MeV. The
measurable range of dose and dose rate can be extended by agreement between the
purchaser and the manufacturer. This extension may be realized by combining more than one
detector, for example NaI(Tl) scintillator and ionization chamber. For most environmental
applications, instruments may measure over a more limited energy range of 80 keV to 3 MeV.
NOTE 1 80 keV to 3 MeV has been chosen to cover the energies of the chief environmental and man-made radio-
nuclides that contribute to the environmental dose. The term “dose” used in this standard means the quantity, air
kerma, air absorbed dose, and ambient dose equivalent, that the instrument is intended to measure.
If the assembly is to be used to measure these quantities in the area surrounding a nuclear
reactor producing 6 MeV radiation from the N isotope, it will be necessary to determine the
response at this energy. An absorbed dose in air, which uses the same unit, Gy, as air kerma
can be taken to have the same numerical value as air kerma under the condition of electron
equilibrium.
Passive devices such as Thermo-Luminescence Dosemeter (TLD), Optically Stimulated
Luminescence (OSL) Dosemeter or Glass Radio-Photo Luminescence (RPL) Dosemeter are
not covered by this standard.
Installed assemblies should be capable of operating continuously.
This standard does not provide for the measurement of beta and neutron radiation.
The equipment covered by this standard comprises a detector assembly and processing
circuits, which may be connected together either rigidly or by means of a flexible cable, or
incorporated into a single assembly. The equipment assembly may also include circuits for
displaying readings, alarms and communication.
This equipment should meet the environmental conditions of use.
Examples of instruments include (detailed information is described in Annex A):
a) Ionization chamber
This is suitable for the measurement of air kerma and air absorbed dose and dose rate. In the
environment, the correction due to temperature and atmospheric pressure may be required.
NOTE 2 For the measurement of ambient dose equivalent and dose equivalent rate the energy response may be
compensated.
b) Geiger-Muller (GM) counter
The energy response should be corrected. GM counters may overestimate the readings due to
the dose (rate) from cosmic radiation.
c) Scintillation detector
The energy response should be corrected. Detailed information is described in Annex A and
Annex B.
d) Semiconductor detector
The energy response should be corrected.
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 60038, IEC standard voltages
IEC 60050-395:2014, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 395: Nuclear
instrumentation: Physical phenomena, basic concepts, instruments, systems, equipment and
detectors
IEC 60068-2-75, Environmental testing – Part 2-75: Tests – Test Eh: Hammer tests
IEC 60086-1, Primary batteries – Part 1: General
IEC 60529, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code)
IEC 61000-4-2, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-2: Testing and measurement
techniques – Electrostatic discharge immunity test
IEC 61000-4-3, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-3: Testing and measurement
techniques – Radiated, radio-frequency, electromagnetic field immunity test
IEC 61000-4-4, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-4: Testing and measurement
techniques – Electrical fast transient/burst immunity test
IEC 61000-4-5, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-5: Testing and measurement
techniques – Surge immunity test
IEC 61000-4-6, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-6: Testing and measurement
techniques – Immunity to conducted disturbances, induced by radio-frequency fields
IEC 61000-4-8, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-8: Testing and measurement
techniques – Power frequency magnetic field immunity test
IEC 61000-4-11, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-11: Testing and measurement
techniques – Voltage dips, short interruptions and voltage variations immunity tests
IEC 61000-4-12, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-12: Testing and measurement
techniques – Ring wave immunity test
IEC 61000-6-2, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 6-2: Generic standards –
Immunity for industrial environments
IEC 61187, Electrical and electronic measuring equipment – Documentation

– 10 – IEC 61017:2016  IEC 2016
IEC 62262, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against
external mechanical impacts (IK code)
ISO 4037-1:1996, X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate
meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy – Part 1: Radiation
characteristics and production methods
ISO 4037-2:1997, X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and dose rate
meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy – Part 2: Dosimetry
for radiation protection over the energy range from 8 keV to 1,3 MeV and 4 MeV to 9 MeV
ISO 4037-3:1999, X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and dose rate
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
ISO 4037-4:2004, X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and dose rate
meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy – Part 4: Calibration
of area and personal dosemeters in low energy X reference radiation fields
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviations, symbols, quantities and units
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
NOTE General terminology concerning detection and measurement of ionizing radiation and nuclear
instrumentation is given in IEC 60050-395 and IEC 60050-151.
3.1.1
ambient dose equivalent
H*(10)
dose equivalent at a point in a radiation field that would be produced by the corresponding
expanded and aligned field in the ICRU sphere at a depth of 10 mm on the radius opposing
the direction of the aligned field
3.1.2
alarm
audible, visual, or other signal activated when the instrument reading exceeds a preset value,
falls outside of a preset range, or when the instrument detects the presence of the source of
radiation according to a preset condition
3.1.3
background level
radiation field in which the instrument is intended to operate which includes background
produced by naturally occurring radioactive material
3.1.4
manufacturer
designer and seller of the equipment
3.1.5
monitor type
3.1.5.1
installed
radiation instruments that may be permanently mounted at a location for use.

Note 1 to entry: By agreement between manufacturer and purchaser, these assemblies should be provided with
appropriate facilities for indicating readings.
3.1.5.2
transportable
radiation instruments not intended to be used whilst transported
3.1.5.3
mobile
radiation instruments that are mounted to moving platforms and that operate while in motion
3.1.6
conventionally true value of quantity
conventionally true dose or dose rate
best estimate of the value of that quantity used for calibration of equipment; this value and its
uncertainty shall be determined from a primary or secondary standard or by a reference
instrument which has been calibrated against a primary or secondary standard
3.1.7
error of indication
difference between the indicated value of a quantity D and the conventionally true value of
I
that quantity at the point of measurement D
T
3.1.8
response
response R of an assembly is the ratio of the assembly’s indicated value to the conventionally
true value
・
D
I
R =
・
D
T
3.1.9
relative error of indication
quotient expressed as a percentage of the error of indication of a quantity by the
conventionally true value of the measured quantity. It may be expressed as:
・ ・
DI − DT
I(%) = ×100
・
D
T
3.1.10
relative intrinsic error
relative error of indication of an assembly with respect to a quantity when subjected to a
specified reference radiation under specified reference conditions
3.1.11
coefficient of variation
ratio V of the estimate of the standard deviation s to the arithmetic mean x of a set of n
measurements x given by the following formula:
i
– 12 – IEC 61017:2016  IEC 2016
n
s 1 1
( )
V = = x – x
i
∑
x x n – 1
i=1
3.1.12
effective range of measurement
range of values of the quantity to be measured over which the performance of an equipment
meets the requirements of this standard
3.2 Test nomenclature
3.2.1
calibration direction
direction of the incident radiation during calibration stated by the manufacturer
3.2.2
reference point of an assembly
physical mark on the assembly indicating a center of a sensitive part of an assembly’s detector and to
be used to calculate an effective reference point of the assembly
Note 1 to entry: Effective reference point of an assembly is located at a distance, stated by the manufacturer for
specified energy, from a reference point of the assembly to be used in order to position the assembly at a point
where the conventionally true value of a quantity to be measured is known.
3.2.3
point of test
point at which the reference point of the assembly is placed and at which the conventionally
true value of air kerma (rate), air absorbed dose (rate) or ambient dose equivalent (rate) is
known
Note 1 to entry: For all tests involving the use of radiation, the reference point of the assembly shall be placed at
the point of test and, apart from the test for variation in response with angle of incidence, in the orientation
indicated by the manufacturer, i.e. with the radiation field incident from the manufacturer’s stated calibration
condition.
3.2.4
qualification tests
tests performed on a representative sample of equipment to verify the adequacy of the design
and that the equipment meets the specifications agreed upon between manufacturer and user
under normal operational conditions and anticipated operation occurrences
Note 1 to entry: Qualification tests are performed in order to verify that the requirements of a specification are
fulfilled.
Note 2 to entry: Qualification tests are subdivided into type tests and routine tests.
3.2.5
type test
conformity test made on one or more items representative of the production
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-16-16]
3.2.6
routine test
conformity test made on each individual item during or after manufacture
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-16-17]
3.2.7
acceptance test
contractual test to prove to the purchaser that the device fulfils certain specifications

[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-16-23]
3.2.8
supplementary tests
tests intended to provide supplementary information on certain specifications
Note 1 to entry: The term “dose” used in this standard means the quantity, air kerma, air absorbed dose, and
ambient dose equivalent, that the instrument is intended to measure. The radiation tests are defined by the
manufacturer in terms of this quantity.
3.3 Abbreviations and symbols
EMC electromagnetic compatibility
3.4 Quantities and units
In this standard, units of the International System (SI) are used . The definitions of radiation
quantities are given in IEC 60050-395. The corresponding old units (non SI) are indicated in
brackets.
Nevertheless, the following units may also be used:
–19
– for energy: electron-volt (symbol: eV), 1 eV = 1,602 × 10 J;
– for time: years (symbol: y), days (symbol: d), hours (symbol: h), minutes (symbol: min).
Multiples and submultiples of SI units will be used, when practicable, according to the SI
system.
4 General test procedure
4.1 Nature of tests
Unless otherwise specified in the individual clauses, all tests enumerated in this standard are
to be considered as "type tests". Nevertheless, by agreement between the manufacturer and
the purchaser, some of them may be considered as acceptance tests.
4.2 Reference conditions and standard test conditions
Reference and standard test conditions are given in Table 1. Reference conditions are those
conditions to which the performance of the instrument is referred and standard test conditions
indicate the necessary tolerances in practical testing. Except where otherwise specified, the
tests in this standard shall be performed under the standard test conditions given in the third
column of Table 1.
4.3 Radiation performance tests
The radiation performance tests are listed in Table 2, which indicates, for each characteristic
under test, the requirements according to the clause where the corresponding test method is
described. The tests shall be performed under test conditions detailed in Table 1, except for
the quantity being tested.
4.4 Tests performed with variation of influence quantities
The classification of electrical, mechanical and environmental characteristics tests is shown in
Table 3. Those tests are intended to determine the effects of variations in the influence
_____________
th
International Bureau of Weights and Measures: The International System of Units, 8 edition, 2006.

– 14 – IEC 61017:2016  IEC 2016
quantities given in Table 4 and Table 5. All other influence quantities shall be maintained
within the limits for the standard test conditions given in Table 1 unless otherwise specified in
the test procedure concerned.
4.5 Statistical fluctuations
For any test involving the use of radiation, if the magnitude of the statistical fluctuations of the
indication arising from the random nature of radiation alone is a significant fraction of the
variation of the indication permitted in the test, then sufficient readings shall be taken to
ensure that the mean value of such readings may be estimated with sufficient accuracy to
demonstrate compliance with the test in question.
The interval between such readings shall be sufficient to ensure that the readings are
statistically independent.
4.6 Reference radiation
137 60
All tests shall be conducted with Cs unless specified otherwise. As an alternative, Co
may be used. In this case, correction shall be made for the difference in response of the
60 137
detector assembly between Co and Cs. These radiation qualities are specified in
ISO 4037 series.
4.7 Point of test
The point of test at which the photon dose rate is to be determined shall be chosen such that
the distance between the radiation source and the detector assembly shall be sufficiently
large to ensure that any error due to the non-uniformity of irradiation of the detector is not
more than ±5 %.
5 General requirements
5.1 Summary of requirements
In Table 2, Table 4, and Table 5 the requirements are summarized.
5.2 General characteristics
5.2.1 Energy and measurement range
The equipment shall measure the air kerma (rate), air absorbed dose (rate) or ambient dose
equivalent (rate) to photon energies over a range of at least 80 keV to 3 MeV. The dynamic
measurement range of the equipment shall be at least three orders of magnitude.
5.2.2 Effective range of dose rate and dose
–1 –1
The effective range of dose rate and dose meters shall be from 30 nGy⋅h or 30 nSv⋅h to at
–1 –1
least 30 µGy⋅h or 30 µSv⋅h . Where the instrument is to be used during emergency
–1 –1
conditions, the upper limit should be at least 1 mGy⋅h or 1 mSv⋅h .
The indication of integrating assemblies shall be expressed in units of air kerma or air
absorbed dose, Gy or in units of ambient dose equivalent, Sv. For most applications, the
effective range of measurement shall be at least from 10 nGy or 10 nSv to 10 mGy or 10 mSv.
The requirements of this standard are also applicable where an assembly has an upper limit
higher than 10 mGy or 10 mSv. Where more than one detector is used for measurement over
the complete range, automatic switching shall be provided between the detectors when
changing range, and the corresponding measurements and read-out scale shall be
simultaneous. The specification and configuration of the system using two detectors is
exemplified in Annex C.
Where it is not practical to perform radiation tests in very low backgrounds for the purpose of
this standard, it may be necessary to increase at least the lower limit of the effective range to
–1 –1
100 nGy⋅h or 100 nSv⋅h .
Annex D discusses the problems of testing and calibrating at low air kerma or absorbed dose
or ambient dose equivalent rates.
5.2.3 Ease of decontamination
The assembly shall be designed and constructed in such a manner as to minimize the risk of
it becoming contaminated in use and to facilitate decontamination by using smooth non-
reactive materials that resist contamination.
5.3 Equipment configuration
The type of equipment defined in this standard generally comprises up to three types of
assemblies, which may be interconnected in a number of configurations.
These assemblies are:
– detector assembly: assembly which contains one or more detectors and associated
electronic devices. It can also include programmable electronic circuits;
– processing assembly: assembly which converts the output signal from the detector
assemblies into a form, generally digital, suitable for transmission to a display device,
which may be connected together either rigidly or by means of a flexible cable or
incorporated into a signal assembly;
– alarm assembly: assembly which gives alarms when the output signal from the detector
assemblies or the processing assemblies get over the previously set-point value, which
may be connected together either rigidly or by means of a flexible cable or incorporated
into a signal assembly.
5.4 Alarm facilities
For installed assemblies to measure dose rate, the alarm and the instrument fault alarm
facilities shall be appropriate for the purpose of the equipment. Alarm units shall be operable
either to hold an alarm condition until specifically reset by a reset c
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