Development and characterization of a graphite-walled ionization chamber as a reference dosimeter for 60Co beams

Abstract

A graphite-walled ionization chamber with a sensitive volume of 6.4cm3 was developed at the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN (LCI) to determine the air kerma rate of a 60Co source. This new prototype was developed to be a simple chamber, without significant nongraphite components and with a simple set-up, which allows the determination of its various required correction factors by Monte Carlo simulations. This new ionization chamber was characterized according to the IEC 60731 standard, and all results were obtained within its limits. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulations were undertaken to obtain the correction factors involved with the air kerma determination. The air kerma rate obtained with the graphite-walled ionization chamber was compared with that from the reference dosimeter at the LCI, a PTW ionization chamber (model TN30002). The results obtained showed good agreement within the statistical uncertainties.