The influence of the heating system on the hypersensitive thermoluminescent material Li:Mg,Cu,P (GR-200)

Considerable effort has been made to optimise and standardise the thermal handling procedures for the use of LiF:Mg,Cu,P (GR-200A) detectors at the CIEMAT Environmental TLD Monitoring System. Two different TLD readers (planchet, hot gas) and more than 500 single detectors were employed and more than 10,000 individual readouts were performed for these tests. The detectors were annealed and irradiated to 80 μGy, which is the usual environmental monthly dose. This scheme was repeated for up to fifty readouts with each one of the studied readout cycles with both heating systems in order to analyse and compare the main characteristics of the material; sensitivity, stability, permanence of glow curve shape and residual dose. Some heating parameters are suggested but, considering the differences between heating techniques, heating adjustment studies in situ are strongly recommended. (author)