An accredited radiation measurement laboratory

Citation

(1999), "An accredited radiation measurement laboratory", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 28 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.1999.12928baf.007

An accredited radiation measurement laboratory

An accredited radiation measurement laboratory

Keywords Heraeus, Measurement, Radiation

As a manufacturer of radiation sources for use in research and industry, Heraeus Noblelight operates its own, well-equipped radiation measurement laboratory for product development and quality assurance. The laboratory having been recently approved by the German certification body Deutscher Akkreditierungs-Rat, Heraeus is now making available to its customers the whole range of capabilities of the laboratory in the field of ultraviolet and infrared radiation measurement. With accreditation in accordance with DIN EN 45001, a neutral body certifies that measurements in the laboratory are conducted systematically and in accordance with established procedures. The Test Standards used are officially calibrated radiation sources measured by the German testing authority Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt.

The radiation measured by modern measuring systems covers the complete spectral range from vacuum ultraviolet through the visible range to long-wave infrared radiation. Because of Heraeus' wide range of products, the radiation measurement laboratory is capable of handling a large variety of different radiation sources, ranging from high-pressure mercury lamps to excimer and infrared radiation sources or laser excitation lamps. Virtually all these radiation sources are characterised by specific radiation physics, which, in the final analysis, influences their application and determines the design of the radiation unit. The transmission properties of glasses or filters are equally as important as the reflective properties of mirrors or the absorption characteristics of the substance exposed to the radiation.

The laboratory has experience of a large number of different applications and is therefore capable of adjusting quickly to new customer requirements; for example, in the sectors of disinfection, photochemistry, curing of printing ink, reprographics, spectroscopy, analysis, IR drying, IR heat treatment or skin tanning.

Radiation parameters which can be measured include the total generated radiation capacity, the distribution of radiation, intensity of irradiation and radiance, spectral distribution, as well as the stability of the radiation with time. Apart from functional checks, service life testing plays an important role in the laboratory. As far as the measuring equipment of the laboratory is concerned, three systems can be mentioned here: first, the Ulbricht sphere is capable of "collecting" the complete energy of a radiation source installed in it and thus enables the radiation flux to be determined, and hence the efficiency of a radiation source.

Second, intensity of irradiation can be measured with extremely high accuracy in a darkroom equipped with two double monochromators. Finally, radiation sources emitting the extremely short-wave vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation in the wavelength range 120 to 200 nanometers are tested in a vacuum chamber to eliminate the distorting influence of air.

The services offered by Heraeus to its customers extend to development support, classification of tanning systems, as well as quality assurance. Measurements on customer equipment are performed both in the Heraeus laboratory and at the customer's premises. For on-site measurements a special mobile measurement station was purchased, which can be used to measure even large equipment such as reprographics systems or sun beds.

Details are available from Heraeus Noblelight GmbH, Measurement Laboratory. Tel: +49 (6181) 35-5698: Fax +49 (6181) 35-849; e-mail: Joern.Jahnke@europe.heraeus.com