Verification of X-ray quality and dosimetry at Berkeley Nuclear Laboratories

The Berkeley Nuclear Laboratories (BNL) of the Central Electricity Generating Board, used the 83 KeV ISO reference radiation for the irradiation of personal dosemeters on a phantom surface for the CEC intercomparison. NPL was asked to measure the BNL kilovoltage (nominally 100 kV) and first and second half-values layers (HVL's) for the 83 keV mean energy X-ray beam (nominally 1.16 and 1.2 mm Cu respectively). The BNL ionization chamber dosimetry for the 83 keV beam was also to be verified by comparison with recently calibrated NPL ionization chambers and electrometers. These measurements were made in April 1982. The NPL ionization chambers and electrometers were subsequently compared with those of the Rijksinstituut voor de Volksgezondheid (RIV) at RIV (Bilthoven, Netherlands) in September 1982