ASTM_E_2232_-_10.pdf

Designation:E223210Standard Guide forSelection and Use of Mathematical Methods for CalculatingAbsorbed Dose in Radiation Processing Applications1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E2232;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide describes different mathematical methodsthat may be used to calculate absorbed dose and criteria fortheir selection.Absorbed-dose calculations can determine theeffectiveness of the radiation process,estimate the absorbed-dose distribution in product,or supplement or complement,orboth,the measurement of absorbed dose.1.2 Radiation processing is an evolving field and annotatedexamples are provided in Annex A6 to illustrate the applica-tions where mathematical methods have been successfullyapplied.While not limited by the applications cited in theseexamples,applications specific to neutron transport,radiationtherapy and shielding design are not addressed in this docu-ment.1.3 This guide covers the calculation of radiation transportof electrons and photons with energies up to 25 MeV.1.4 The mathematical methods described include MonteCarlo,point kernel,discrete ordinate,semi-empirical andempirical methods.1.5 General purpose software packages are available for thecalculation of the transport of charged and/or unchargedparticles and photons from various types of sources of ionizingradiation.This standard is limited to the use of these softwarepackages or other mathematical methods for the determinationof spatial dose distributions for photons emitted following thedecay of137Cs or60Co,for energetic electrons from particleaccelerators,or for X-rays generated by electron accelerators.1.6 This guide assists the user in determining if mathemati-cal methods are a useful tool.This guide may assist the user inselecting an appropriate method for calculating absorbed dose.The user must determine whether any of these mathematicalmethods are appropriate for the solution to their specificapplication and what,if any,software to apply.NOTE1The user is urged to apply these predictive techniques whilebeing aware of the need for experience and also the inherent limitations ofboth the method and the available software.Information pertaining toavailability and updates to codes for modeling radiation transport,courses,workshops and meetings can be found in Annex A1.For a basicunderstanding of radiation physics and a brief overview of methodselection,refer to Annex A3.1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory requirements prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E170 Terminology Relating to Radiation Measurements andDosimetryE482 Guide for Application of Neutron Transport Methodsfor Reactor Vessel Surveillance,E706(IID)2.2 ISO/ASTM Standards:251707 Guide for Estimating Uncertainties in Dosimetry forRadiation Processing2.3 International Commission on Radiation Units and Mea-surements Reports:3ICRU Report 60 Fundamental Quantities and Units forIonizing RadiationICRU Report 80 Dosimetry Systems for Use in RadiationProcessing2.4 United States National Institute of Standards and Tech-nology:4NIST Technical Note 1297(1994 edition)Guidelines forEvaluating and Expressing the Uncertainty of NIST Mea-surement Results3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E61 on RadiationProcessing and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E61.04 on SpecialtyApplication.Current edition approved July 1,2010.Published September 2010.Originallyapproved in 2002.Last previous edition approved in 2002 as E2232-02.DOI:10.1520/E2232-10.2For referenced ASTM and ISO/ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,or contact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.ForAnnual Book of ASTM Standards volume information,refer to the standardsDocument Summary page on the ASTM website.3AvailablefromInternationalCommissiononRadiationUnitsandMeasurements,7910 Woodmont Ave.,Suite 800,Bethesda,MD 20815 USA.4Available as a download from the NIST web site at:http:/physics.nist.gov/Pubs/guidelines/TN1297/tn1297s.pdf.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 3.1.1 benchmarkingcomparing model predictions to inde-pendent measurements or calculations under similar conditionsusing defined criteria of uncertainty.3.1.1.1 DiscussionBenchmarking is a prerequisite beforeroutine use of a mathematical model.Refer to 8.1 and AnnexA5.3.1.2 biasing(in a Monte Carlo simulation)adjustment ofthe source particle selection and/or the transported par