Pre-irradiation and post-irradiation fading of the Harshaw 8841 TLD in different environmental conditions

The pre-irradiation and post-irradiation fading of a commercially available LiF:Mg,Cu,P thermoluminescent detector (TLD) - the Harshaw 8841 TLD - have been assessed. The Harshaw 8841 TLD comprises three TLD-700H chips (99.7% 7LiF and 0.03% 6LiF by weight) and one TLD-600H chip (4.4% 7LiF and 95.6% 6LiF by weight). Pre-irradiation and post-irradiation fading were measured for storage times up to 164 d and three different storage temperatures (-8, 25 and 50 deg. C). Dosemeters were irradiated in a mixed photon-neutron field so that the fading behaviour of the photon and neutron signals could be studied. The TLD-700H and TLD-600H chips exhibited complex changes in sensitivity and signal that depended on storage time, storage temperature and the type of radiation to which the chips had been exposed. However, the magnitudes of these changes in sensitivity and signal were relatively small. TLD-600H and TLD-700H, therefore, exhibit good stability of sensitivity and signal. (authors)