ASTM E2232

1.1 This guide describes different mathematical methods that may be used to calculate absorbed dose and criteria for their selection. Absorbed dose calculations determine the effectiveness of the radiation process, estimate the absorbed-dose distribution in product, or supplement and/or complement dosimetry measurements.

1.2 Radiation processing is an evolving field and annotated examples are provided in to illustrate the applications where mathematical methods have been successfully applied. While not limited by the applications cited in these examples, applications specific to neutron transport, radiation therapy and shielding design are not addressed in this document.

1.3 This guide covers the calculation of radiation transport of electrons and photons in the energy range of 0.1 to 25 MeV.

1.4 The mathematical methods described include Monte Carlo, point kernel, discrete ordinate, semi-empirical and empirical methods.

1.5 General purpose software packages are available for the calculation of the transport of charged and/or neutral particles and photons from various types of sources of ionizing radiation. This standard is limited to the use of these software packages or other mathematical methods for the determination of spatial dose distributions for photons emitted following the decay of ¹³⁷Cs or ⁶⁰Co, energetic electrons from particle accelerators, or bremsstrahlung generated by electron accelerators.

1.6 This guide assists the user in determining if mathematical methods are a useful tool. This guide may assist the user in selecting an appropriate method for calculating absorbed dose.

Note 1—The user is urged to apply these predictive techniques while being aware of the need for experience and also the inherent limitations of both the method and the available software. Information pertaining to availability and updates to codes for modeling radiation transport, courses, workshops and meetings can be found in . For a basic understanding of radiation physics and a brief overview of method selection, refer to .

1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.

2. Referenced Documents

E170 Terminology Relating to Radiation Measurements and Dosimetry
E482 Guide for Application of Neutron Transport Methods for Reactor Vessel Surveillance
E666 Practice for Calculating Absorbed Dose from Gamma or X Radiation
51204 Practice for Dosimetry in Gamma Irradiation Facilities for Food Processing
51275 Practice for Use of a Radiochromic Film Dosimetry System
51400 Practice for Characterization and Performance of a High-Dose Radiation Dosimetry Calibration Laboratory
51431 Practice for Dosimetry in Electron and Bremsstrahlung Irradiation Facilities for Food Processing
51608 Practice for Dosimetry in an X-ray (Bremsstrahlung) Facility for Radiation Processing
51649 Practice for Dosimetry in an Electron Beam Facility for Radiation Processing at Energies between 300 keV and 25 MeV
51702 Practice for Dosimetry in a Gamma Irradiation Facility for Radiation Processing
51707 Guide for Estimating Uncertainties in Dosimetry for Radiation Processing
51818 Practice for Dosimetry in an Electron Beam Facility for Radiation Processing at Energies between 80 and 300 keV
51939 Practice for Blood Irradiation Dosimetry
ICRU Report 14, Radiation Dosimetry: X-Rays and Gamma Rays with Maximum Photon Energies Between 0.6 and 50 MeV
ICRU Report 17, Radiation Dosimetry: X-Rays Generated at Potentials of 5 to 150 kV
ICRU Report 34, The Dosimetry of Pulsed Radiation
ICRU Report 35, Radiation Dosimetry: Electron Beams with Energies Between 1 and 50 MeV
ICRU Report 37, Stopping Powers for Electrons and Positrons
ICRU Report 51, Quantities and Units in Radiation Protection Dosimetry
ICRU Report 60, Fundamental Quantities and Units for Ionizing Radiation, 1998
ISO 11137 Sterilization of Health Care Products-Requirements for Validation and Routine Control - Radiation Sterilization
ISO 9001 Quality Systems-Model for Quality Assurance in Design/Development, Production, Installation and Servicing
ISO 9002 Quality Systems-Model for Quality Assurance in Production and Installation

Index Terms

benchmarking; deterministic method; discrete ordinates; empirical method; mathematical models; modeling; modelling; Monte Carlo method; point kernel; radiation processing; radiation transport; stochastic; validation; verification; ICS Number Code 07.020; 17.240

Citing ASTM Standards

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