BAM Berlin

How to Make an Exposure Chart for

Computed Radiography?

Uwe Ewert, Uwe Zscherpel,

Mirko Jechow, Bernhard Redmer
t@b d
uwe.ewert@bam.de

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Essential Parameters in Radiology 1
 Outline
 Basics
 Comparison of optical density and grey value in Computed Radiography
 Determination of required minimum Grey Value GVmin for CR via Contrast
Sensitivity (EPS)
 Determination of required minimum Grey Value GVmin for CR via Signal-to
Noise Ratio (SNR)
( )

 Measurement procedure for exposure diagram

 Test exposures of IPs by new Draft of ASTM E 2033 and ISO/DIS 17636-2
 EPS method
 SNR method
 Design of exposure diagram on basis of grey values

 Usage of exposure diagram

 Conclusions

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR 2
 Exposure Chart for Films

©2007 General Electric Company.

GEIT-30158
GEIT 30158 (01/07) GE Inspection Technologies
Industrial Radiography Image forming techniques

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 Exposure Chart for Films

mA▪min
The final graph shows the
required mA▪minutes for
exposure at a given tube kV
under standard conditions for a
given film system

Standard conditions are here:

 Material: steel
 Film Focus Distance: 700 mm
 Optical density: 2.0
 Given film and exposure conditions

Radiographers are trained, how to mm Fe

calculate the exposure values under
modified conditions.
©2007 General Electric Company.
GEIT 30158 (01/07) GE Inspection Technologies
GEIT-30158
Industrial Radiography Image forming techniques
April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 CR Response to Dose vs. Grey Values
 Operators want to define a minimum Grey Value as equivalent to the optical
density in Film Radiography!
 But, the optical density and grey values of digital images cannot be compared
without relation to the image quality
 The grey values depend on:
 Bit depth
 Scanner gain
 Photo multiplier voltage
 Imaging plate efficiency
 Scanning LASER intensity
 Exposure
p conditions ((kV, mA▪min, distance, shielding,
g filters).
)

 The image quality can be measured by

 IQIs,, as e.g.
g wires,, step
p holes,, plate
p holes or byy
 Measurement of essential parameters as e.g. the normalized SNR.

 The EPS and the normalized SNR can be converted to calibrated minimum g
grey
y
values GVmin which are required for CR exposure charts.
April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 Determination of the minimum Grey Value GVmin by the
EPS method
See ASTM E 2033 draft and the Draft on “Practice for the Use of … Computed
Radiology for Aerospace Casting Inspections” (USA: MAI – group)

- A smooth ¾ inch (19 mm) steel plate with a set of plate holes is radiographed at 200
kV in ≥ 1 m distance (ASTM E 746)
- Other IQIs are on the plate
to increase the information
on image response.

 Th
The exposure iis performed
f d
with different mA▪min settings
 A graph is generated, see next
pages

E 746
EPS= equivalent penetrameter sensitivity ((see ASTM
S E 746, E 747, E 1025))

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Essential
Exposure
Parameters
Chart in
forRadiology
CR 6
 Example: EPS test with DÜRR HD CR scanner at
20 µm pixel size

Do you see the holes?

¾” (19 mm) steel plate, 200 kV

1 mm steel step for
CNR  0.8
measurementt off µeff

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR 7
 EPS Method as Proposed by ASTM E 2033 Draft (Annex I)

Use EPS test plates (E 746) as follows:

- Expose the EPS plate set on ¾” (19 mm) of steel at conditions, as defined
in ASTM E 746
746, about 12 times with doubling dose values (mA▪min)
- Measure for each exposure the GV and EPS value
- Plot a graph of EPS vs. Grey Value GV

Qualification procedure!

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 Determination of Minimum Grey Value GVmin:
EPS test

EPS measurement
conditions:
see ASTM E 746

ASTM 2033 Draft

table A.2

Grey value

EPS= equivalent penetrameter sensitivity (see ASTM E 746, E 747, E 1025)

 Plot a graph with measured EPS as function of grey value and

 determine from the graph the minimum required grey value GVmin for the required EPS value of
the table A.2 of ASTM E 2033 (draft).
April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR 9
 Determination of Minimum Grey Value GVmin:
SNR Method
 The required minimum ´Grey Value’ Gvmin can also be determined by SNR
measurements with available software.
 This
Thi is
i based
b d on the
th following
f ll i equation:
ti

Depends
p on Hardware: effective p
pixel size
New Formula Magnification
Focal spot size, source size
image SNR - Signal to noise ratio
SR µeff – specific contrast,
d visible  PT  b
effective attenuation coefficient
 eff  SN
SNR SRb – effective
ff ti pixel
i l size
i iin th
the iimage,
basic spatial resolution of image

} {
Material, p
Exposure time
keV, Source type Tube current, Activity
Scattered radiation Detector efficiency
Screens and filters Source-to-Detector Distance

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 Determination of Minimum Grey Value GVmin:
SNR Method (ISO/DIS 17636-2)

Annex C: Determination of basic spatial resolution SRb

Annex D: Determination of normalized SNRN from SNRmeasured

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Essential
Exposure
Parameters
Chart in
forRadiology
CR 11
Step Wedge Method: Linear and logarithmic
g step
p wedge
g
8 mm Cu filter

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 How to determine the minimum gray values GVmin:
(E 2033, Annex 1)

Use sstep
ep wedge
edge method
e od oof ASTM
S E 2446
6oor ISO
SO 16371-1
63 as follows:
o o s
- Expose the step wedge
- Measure in each step
p the g
gray
y value and SNR value
- Plot a graph and determine the minimum gray value for the required
normalized SNR, corresponding to the required ISO testing class or ASTM
level.
level

Calibration procedure!

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 Determination of Minimum Grey Value GVmin:
SNR Method

- The measurement is based on the fixed correlation of SNR and Grey

Values of a CR system (IP and scanner) with fixed scanner settings.
ISO/DIS 17636-2 requires for
Class A: SNRN ≥ 70 and for
Class B: SNRN ≥ 100
ASTM E 2033 (Draft) requires for
Level I: SNR ≥ 80 (@SRb = 70 µm)
Level II: SNR ≥ 56 (@SRb = 70 µm)
GV
Scanner parameters as
gain scan speed
gain, speed, laser
intensity, scan pixel
resolution and others
shall not be modified for
qualification and usage
in the field.

Measure the SNR and mean

GV grey value in all steps

Grey value

Grey value SNRnorm = SNR * 88,6µm/SR

µ b

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 How to Plot an Exposure Graph on the basis of
minimum gray values GVmin:

 Determine the minimum grey value GVmin for the specific SR system and
its parameter setting
 D t
Determine
i diff
differentt GVmin values
l ffor diff
differentt IP types
t and
d scanner settings
tti
 Determine different GVmin values for testing class A and testing class B of
ISO/DIS
SO/ S 17636-2
636 or for ASTMS E 2033
033 ((Draft)) level I and level II
 Define a reference value GVreference for the exposure chart.
 Plot the required
q mA▪minutes as function of the material thickness, which
is required to achieve the GVreference under standard conditions.
 The operator may define the required GVmin value depending on the testing
requirements.
requirements

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 Exposure Chart for Computed-Radiography
100
• FDDref = 1000 mm
• GVref = 26000
• SNRN = 100
• Material = Fe
10 • IP = ST VI
B (mA xmin)
min)

• DÜRR CR35 NDT

B (mA▪m

• BAM
BAM-certified
tifi d scan-
parameter
• No lead screens
1 600 kV

450 kV B  GVmin  FDD 2

Bw 
300 kV
GVref  FDDref
2

01
0,1
30 40 50 60 GVmin_B = 26000
70 80 90 100
w Fe(mm)
w Fe (mm) GVmin_A = 10000
Exposure chart,
chart based on a qualified minimum grey value GVreferenz
- Measurement of the exposure value (mA min) for different tube voltages,
which are required to obtain the qualified GVreferenz .
- Half logarithmic presentation with system parameters.
April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
 Conclusions
 Exposure charts for CR can be designed in analogy to film radiography
on the basis of grey values in the digital images
 It is required to determine for each Imaging Plate type and scanner and
its parameter setting a required minimum Grey Value GVmin.
 Two equivalent methods were developed:
 The EPS method is based on the visual determination of EPS
values
l under
d standardized
t d di d conditions
diti b
by visual
i l evaluation
l ti off di
digital
it l
images and measured Grey Values
 The SNR method is based on measured normalized SNR values
and measured Grey Values
 Different GVmin values apply for testing ISO class A and B or ASTM level
I and
d II
 The relative exposure times between CR and film radiography are
different for class A and B or level I and II.

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Exposure Chart for CR
End
uwe.ewert@bam.de

April 2012,
Ewert et al. Essential Parameters in Radiology 18