An absorbed dose to water calorimeter for collimated radiation fields

A transportable calorimeter of compact design has been developed as a device for the absolute determination of the absorbed dose to water. The ease of operation of the calorimeter allows the application in clinical therapy beams of various energies, specifically for neutron, proton and heavy ion beams. The calorimeter requires collimated radiation fields with diameters lesser than 40 mm. The temperature rise caused by radiation is measured with a thermistor probe which is located in the centre of the calorimeter core. The calorimeter core consists of a cylindrical water-filled gilded aluminium can suspended by three thin nylon threads in a vacuum block in order to reduce the heat transfer by conduction. In addition, it operates at a temperature of 4°C, preventing heat transfer in water by convection. Heat transfer from the core to the surrounding by radiation is minimised by the use of two concentric temperature-controlled jackets, the inner jacket being operated at core temperature. A description of the mechanical and electrical design, of the construction and operation of the water calorimeter is given. In addition, calculations with a finite-element program code performed to determine correction factors for various radiation conditions are included.