Portable radiation meters evaluation in high rates of air kerma

A set of portable meters of ionizing radiation high rates of air kerma (teletectors) commonly used in emergencies in Brazil and sent to the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN were under several tests and analyst is parameters for the detectors behavior were established, specifying their sensitivities and operating characteristics. Applied tests were: reading equipment variation with battery voltage, geotropism effect, energy dependence, the angular dependence and overload. Thus it was possible to determine the most common characteristic found in these equipment (quality control programs). The behavior of 17 portable meters was analyzed and in this study, 10 of them have been tested. It was performed to characterize the gamma irradiating system (radiation dosimetry field) that possesses higher activity in teletectors for testing of larger measuring range. New calibration criteria were established following international recommendations. Therefore, it was made the improvement of the quality control programme of portable meters of ionizing radiation high rates of air kerma calibration laboratory, benefiting the users of such equipment with better consistent calibration measurements. (author)