RADIOGRAPHIC METHOD

Radiography Formulas
Inverse Square Law

I1 (D2 ) 2
= Intensity (doserate) to Distance
I2 (D1 ) 2

E1 (D1 ) 2
= Exposure to Distance
E2 (D2 ) 2

D1
Worked Examples I1
D2

1. If the intensity at 36 m is 25R/Hr calculate the intensity at 80m.

I2 362
= Ans I2 = 5.06 R/Hr
25 802
D1 I1
2. If the intensity at 3.6 m is 25R/Hr what is the distance for it to
be 2 mR/Hr?
I2
D22 = d12 (I1/I2)
(3.6)2
(D2 ) = 2

2 x 10-3

(D2 )2 = 162,000 D2 = √ 162,000 = 402 m

3. If the exposure for 36 ins source to film distance is 8 mAm,

what is the exposure for 48 ins source to film distance?

E2 (48)2 8 x (48)2
= E2 = Ans: E2 = 14.22 mAm
8 (36)2 (36)2

If exposure 1 at 1.5 m is 36 mAm, calculate exposure for 2.0 m.

E2 (2.0)2 36 x (2.0)2
= E = Ans: E2 = 64 mAm
36 (1.5) 2
2
(1.5)2

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More on Inverse Square Law

Note: These four lines will help you always get inverse square
calculations spot on.

1. Unknown Top Left )

2. Big over Big )
3. Small over Small )
4. Square the Distances )

Worked Example

If the dose rate is 3 R/Hr at 24 ft how many feet distance will bring the
dose rate down to 2 mR/Hr?

Unknown is D2 Unknown Top Left

D1 = 24 ft Big over Big
I1 = 3R/Hr Small over Small
I2 = 2 mR/Hr Square Distances

GIVES US (D2 ) 2 (24) 2

=
3 2 x 103

3 x (24) 2
So D2 =
√ 2 x 103

= 929.5 ft

Worked Example
If the intensity at 1 meter is 24R/Hr what is the intensity at 40 metres?
Unknown top left, big over big, small over small, square distances.

I2 24
=
(1)2
(40) 2
12 x 24
I2 =
402
= 0.015R/Hr = 15 mR/Hr

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 RADIOGRAPHIC METHOD

Calculation of Film Density

I
D = log 1
I2

Incident Light
Film Density =
Transmitted Light

Worked Example
A film transmits 36 lux of light from an incident source of light at
intensity 410 lux. What is the film density?

410
D = Log Answer: D = 1.06
36

Calculation maximum film density

permitted for viewing

I
D = log 1
I2

D = Log Viewer Output Intensity

Film Transmission Intensity

Worked Example
You have a film viewer with an output on the viewing screen of 2000
lux. The specification you work to requires a minimum 5 lux transmis-
sion through film for the film to be interpreted.
What is the maximum film density that you can interpret?

2000
D = Log Answer: D = 2.6
5

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RADIOGRAPHIC METHOD

Calculation of Transmitted intensity

through a barrier of known half value layers

FORMULA B
Do t
Dr = n Where n =
2 HVL

Radiation Incident
Radiation Transmitted =
2 absorption coefficient n

Worked Example

An incident radiation of 36 mR/H passes through a wall of 25cm thick-

ness. If the half value layer thickness for the wall is 12.5cm what is the
intensity of the transmitted radiation.

Do t
Dr = Where n =
2 n
HVL

n= 45 = 3.6

12.5

D = 32
r
2 3.6

Dr = 2.97 mR/H

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Isotope Activity Conversion

The SI unit is the Becquerel (Bq)
1 Bq = 1 disintegration per second = 2.7 x 10-11 Curie (Ci)
1 Ci = 3.7 x 1010 Bq = 37 GBq

1 Bq 37 Bq 37 kBq 370 Bq 3.7 MBq 37 MBq

27 pCi 1 nCi 1mCi 10mCi 100mCi 1 mCi

370 MBq 3.7 GBq 37 GBq 370 GBq 3.7 TBq 37 TBq

10 mCi 100 mCi 1 Ci 10 Ci 100 Ci 1000 Ci

(1 kCi)

Some Additional Useful Conversions

Curie Units Becquerel Units Curie Units Becquerel Units
μCi KBq μCi MBq
mCi MBq mCi GBq
Ci GBq Ci TBq
0.1 3.7 50 1.85
0.25 9.25 60 2.22
0.5 18.5 100 3.7
0.75 27.75 200 7.4
1 37 250 9.25
2 74 500 18.5
3 111 800 29.6
5 185 1000 37
7 259
10 370
To convert from one unit to another, read
20 740 across from one column to the other ensuring
25 925 the units are in the same line of the column
headings ie)

From the above table: From the above table:

0.1 mCi = 3.7 MBq 50 mCi = 1.85 GBq
0.1 Ci = 3.7 GBq 3.7 MBq = 100 μCI

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RADIOGRAPHIC METHOD

Exposure
Roentgen (R), the charge produced in air by or X-Rays, has the SI unit
expressed as coulombs per kilogram (C/kg) of air.
1 C/kg = 3876 R 1 R = 2.58 x 10-4 C/kg
Air Kerma rate, the equivalent of observed dose rate in air, is typically
used to define radiation output from sealed sources and has the SI unit
grays/second.
1 gray (Gy)= 100 rad 1 rad = 0.01 Gy
(1 R of X-radiation in the energy range 0.1 - 3 MeV produces 0.96 rad in
tissue.)

Exposure Rate Table

Cobalt-60 1.3 Roentgen/Hr/Curie at 1 metre

Thulium-170 2.5 Roentgen/Hr/Curie at 1 metre
Iridium-192 0.48 Roentgen/Hr/Curie at 1 metre
Ytterbium-169 0.125 Roentgen/Hr/Curie at 1 meter

Optimum Isotope Working Thickness

Steel Light Alloy Other Materials
Thulium-170 2.5 – 12.5 mm 7.5 – 37.5 mm 0.02 to 0.1g/mm2
Cobalt-60 50 – 150 mm 150 – 450 mm 0.4 to 1.2g/mm2
Ytterbium-169 2.5 – 15.0 mm 7.5 – 45 mm 0.02 to 0.12g/mm2
Iridium-192 12.5 – 62.5 mm 40 – 190 mm 0.2 to 1.0g/mm2

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 RADIOGRAPHIC METHOD

Radiation Dose
The working SI unit is the sievert (Sv) (dose equivalent)

1 Sv = 100 rem 1 rem = 0.01 Sv = 10 mSv

0.1μSv 1μSv 1 μSv 100μSv

0.01 μrem 0.1 μrem 1 μrem 10 μrem

1 μSv 10 μSv 100 μSv 1 Sv

100 μrem 1 rem 10 rem 100

rem
Conversion between grays (absorbed dose) and rads is the same as
between sieverts and rem i.e.
1 gray (Gy) = 100 rad = 100 roentgen
Additional Useful Conversions: 7.5 μSv/hr = 0.75 mrem/hr
2 μSv/hr = 200 mrem/hr
30 μSv = 3 rem
50 μSv = 50 rem

Transport Index
Transport Index (TI) = (Radiation does rate in μSv/hr @ 1 meter
from package surface) ÷ 10

Half Life Table

Cobalt-60 5.27 years
Thulium-170 128 days
Iridium-192 74 days
Ytterbium-169 32 days
Selenium Se-75 120 days

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Isotope Half Value Layers

Half value thickness

Steel Iridium 13mm

Steel Colbalt 20mm
Steel 250 kV x-ray 12mm
Steel 250 kV x-ray 6mm
Lead Colbalt 11mm
Lead Iridium 5.5mm
Concrete Iridium 43mm
Concrete Colbalt 63mm

Isotope Dose Rates

Dose rates
Iridium µSv/hr/GBq @ 1m 130
Iridium rem/hr/Ci @ 1m 0.48
Colbalt µSv/hr/GBq @ 1m 357
Colbalt rem/hr/Ci @ 1m 1.32
Ytterbium µSv/hr/GBq @ 1m 33.8
Ytterbium rem/hr/Ci @ 1m 0.125
Thulium µSv/hr/GBq @ 1m 0.676
Thulium rem/hr/Ci @ 1m 0.0025

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