ARPANSA provides calibration services for radiotherapy dosimeters. These dosimeters are used by radiotherapy providers to calibrate the output of linear accelerators and kilovoltage X-ray tubes for patient treatment.
Calibration services
The current scope of services can be viewed at www.nata.com.au.
To inquire about the calibration of ionisation chambers for radiotherapy providers, contact psdl@arpansa.gov.au.
Future events
2025 Practical Reference Dosimetry Course will run from 31 March to 3 April 2025. Register for ARPANSA's Practical Reference Dosimetry Course 2025 here.
Calibration standard
Most of these services are accredited to ISO/IEC17025 by NATA. ARPANSA’s accreditation number is 14442.
Calibration types
There are several beam qualities available for calibration. The most common calibration is for absorbed dose to water in Cobalt-60. This calibration may be used with a dosimetry protocol such as the IAEA TRS-398 Code of Practice to determine the output of a medical linear accelerator. Radiotherapy providers can choose to get their ionisation chambers calibrated at ARPANSA directly in linear accelerator beams. The services result in more accurate dosimetry in the clinic because the chamber is calibrated at similar energies, reducing the emphasis on correction factors.
The services are fully compatible with the IAEA’s TRS-398 dosimetry code of practice and are intended to complement the existing Cobalt-60 calibration service.
Table 1: Common calibration combinations of a therapy dosimeter (consisting of an electrometer and one or more ionisation chambers).
| Device | Beam quality | Nominal energy | Quantity | Calibration coefficient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrometera | - | - | Charge or current | kelec |
| Thimble chamber | Cobalt-60 | Cobalt-60 | Absorbed dose to waterb | ND,w |
| Thimble chamber | Cobalt-60 | Cobalt-60 | Air kerma | NK |
| Thimble chamber | Cobalt-60 + MV photons | 1 – 18 MV | Absorbed dose to water | ND,w,Q |
| Electron chamber | MV electrons | 18 MeVc | Absorbed dose to water | ND,w,Q |
| Thimble chamber | MEXd | 30 – 300 kVp | Air kerma | NK |
| Thin window chamber | LEXe | 20 – 100 kVp | Air kerma | NK |
aElectrometers are calibrated separately from ionisation chambers. A comparison of the product of the separate calibration coefficients and the combined calibration coefficient is however performed in Cobalt-60.
bCalibrations in Cobalt-60 include a calibration for air kerma, which is always performed for QA purposes.
cThe cross-calibration is performed at 18 MeV and calculated correction factors from TRS-398 can be used to determine the calibration coefficient at other qualities.
dMEX = Medium Energy kilovoltage X-rays
eLEX = Low Energy kilovoltage X-rays
A current list of the dosimetry capabilities of ARPANSA's PSDL and Medical Imaging:
Radiotherapy
| Radiological quality | Beam quality | Energies |
|---|---|---|
| Absorbed dose to water | 60Co | |
| MV linac photons | 6, 10 and 18 MV | |
| MV linac electrons | Cross-calibration at 15 MeV | |
| Air kerma | 60Co | |
| Medium Energy X-rays | 40-320 kVp ‘NX’ series | |
| Low Energy X-rays | 20-100 kVp ‘RT’ series |
Diagnostic
| Radiological quality | Beam quality | Energies |
|---|---|---|
| Air kerma (KAP, KLP in development) | General radiography | RQR, RQA, RQT series |
Protection
| Radiological quality | Beam quality | Energies |
|---|---|---|
| Air kerma and dose equivalent* | 60Co, 137Cs, Medium energy X-rays | Above X-ray series plus ISO 4037 Narrow and Wide series |
| Dose equivalent* | Am/Be neutrons |
*Includes ambient dose equivalent H*(10) (calibrated free in air) and personal dose equivalent Hp(10) (calibrated on a phantom).
Past events
- Practical Reference Dosimetry Course - 11-14 April 2016
- The ARPANSA Small-Field Comparison Day - 15 April 2016
For more information contact: psdl@arpansa.gov.au
