A NEW EXTREMITY DOSIMETER SYSTEM BASED ON THERMOLUMINESCENCE DOSIMETRY

A new extremity dosemeter system has been developed at GSF serving equally as a partial body dosemeter. It consists of (1) a TL detector sealed in a heat resistant plastic capsule as part of a thin and flexible plastic strip which can also be formed into a ring and closed with a re-usable closing mechanism, (2) automatic PC controlled readout equipment. The advantages of the detector device are: sterilisable even at autoclave temperatures if unirradiated, high resistance against chemical solvents, permanent identification number, mechanical stability, suitable for wearing in a number of places and easy readout. The readout equipment provides automatic dosemeter evaluation including magazine transport, code detection and heating control. The TL signal is detected by a PMT via a flexible fluid light pipe using a digitally operated photon counting system. The system provides a dose range according to DIN 6816 for extremity dosimetry, and passed the annual quality control by PTB. The prototype system was studied in a field test for six months at different radiological institutions with about 240 users each month.