Calibrators
Abstract
Calibrators (also called irradiators) are the basic tool used to calibrate all Navy radiological detection equipment. Essentially they consist of a high energy radiological source (Cs-137) in a shielded container that is located in a specially constructed room, or "range." A technician places the instrument to be calibrated at a specific calibration point in the range and remotely operates the calibrator by raising the source out of its container so that it irradiates the object instrument. The instrument's response to the radiation is measured so that it can be calibrated to specific tolerances. The current suite of AN/UDM-1B calibrators is over 20 years old and the natural decay of the strength of the radioactive source over time restricts calibration effectiveness by limiting the scale of calibration points below American National Standards Institute (ANSI) requirements that are followed in accordance with Navy policy. Also due to the age of the calibrators, there are several parts no longer supported by the manufacturer, and a malfunctioning calibrator poses a very high safety risk. COTS equipment will be surveyed to find the best solution with which to equip the Navy's seven RADIAC Calibration Laboratories with modern calibrators.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2017
- Source ID
- b65ba54cf5ffbb57c4108d929660b975
Related Documents
- Root: Radiological Control