Skip to main content

NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.

Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Heat Transfer Effects in a Water Calorimeter for Measuring the Absorbed Dose of Therapy-Level Radiation Beams

Published

Author(s)

Ronald E. Tosh, Huaiyu H. Chen-Mayer

Abstract

Water calorimetry that directly measures the temperature rise (at the mK level) due to radiation heating is used as a primary standard for therapy-level gamma-radiation beams. The temperature rise is measured at a given point in space where the spatial distribution of the absorbed dose is non-uniform, and therefore is subject to heat conduction and convection distortions that must be corrected to recover the accurate dosimetric value. Corrections are typically estimated using finite-element modeling of these processes analyzed in the time domain, which is sensitive to timing details of the source. By using periodic modulation of the radiation source and measuring an effective frequency response, a system transfer function of the calorimeter can be derived. This spectral technique provides a basis for assessing systematic errors for all radiation exposure times, extending the data usable range beyond the limit of the traditional time domain analysis.
Conference Dates
October 1, 2007
Conference Title
Comsol Multiphysics Conference

Keywords

frequency domain analysis, radiation dosimetry, water calorimetry

Citation

Tosh, R. and Chen-Mayer, H. (2007), Heat Transfer Effects in a Water Calorimeter for Measuring the Absorbed Dose of Therapy-Level Radiation Beams, Comsol Multiphysics Conference (Accessed October 13, 2025)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].

Created October 1, 2007, Updated June 13, 2017
Was this page helpful?