CONDUCTIVITY OF ALANINE SOLUTION FOR HIGH-LEVEL DOSIMETRY

The amino acid alanine is well known as a dosimetric detector material for high level dosimetry. Its application is based on the formation o f radicals by ionising radiation. The free radicals are earlier detect ed by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy or chemically after d issolving the irradiated samples. Of all these methods the ESR/alanine system is the most advanced and is suggested for reference dosimetry. At present, however, the high cost of the system is a serious handica p for a large scale routine application in radiation plants. In this s tudy the variation of electrical conductivity Of L-alanine solution wi th applied dose is investigated in the range from 0.5-200 kGy. The con ductivity was measured with a 50 MHz RF oscillator. This readout metho d is uncomplicated and may be suitable for routine application. The ex periments were performed with L-alanine solution in glass ampoules.