A computer controlled ambient dose equivalent meter based on a recombination chamber

This paper is devoted to a description of a microcomputer controlled dose equivalent rate meter, based on a recombination principle and intended for routine use in radiation protection. The device displays, directly, the ambient dose equivalent rate H∗ (10), the absorbed dose rate and the quality factor. The ionisation chamber of REM-2 type serves as a detector. An appropriate set of collecting voltages is sequentially applied to the chamber electrodes. Ions which have avoided initial recombination are collected at a capacitor connected to an electrometer. Then the collected charge is registered in the computer memory. The ambient dose equivalent is calculated in real time, taking into account the dependence of the initial recombination of ions on linear energy transfer (LET). The device can be used in radiation fields of any composition, usually with an accuracy not worse than 30%.