5.1 The practice may be used to accomplish several ends: to establish a worldwide frame of reference for terminology, metrics, and procedures for reliably determining trace detection performance of ETDs; to give developers tangible benchmarks designed to improve detection performance of next-generation ETDs; as a demonstration by the vendor that the equipment is operating properly to a specified performance score; for a periodic verification by the user of detector performance after purchase; and as a generally-acceptable template adaptable by international agencies to specify performance requirements, analytes and dosing levels, background challenges, and operations.
5.2 It is expected that current ETD systems will exhibit wide ranges of performance across the diverse explosive types and compounds considered. As in previous versions, this practice establishes the minimum performance that is required for a detector to be considered effective in the detection of trace explosives. An explosives detector is considered to have “minimum acceptable performance” when it has attained a test score of at least 80.
5.3 It is not recommended to use scores exclusively to compare different ETD systems in order to make procurement or deployment decisions. The scores themselves signify ratings based on general detection performance, but do not necessarily reflect capabilities with specific analytes or BCMs, nor do scores consider many factors that users may also consider important: procurement and operating costs, robustness and dependability, training requirements, ease of use, security features, size and weight constraints, network capabilities and interoperability, and radioactive material management.
1.1 This practice may be used for measuring, scoring, and improving the overall performance of detectors that alarm on traces of explosives on swabs. These explosive trace detectors (ETDs) may be based on, but are not limited to, chemical detection technologies such as ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and mass spectrometry (MS). Technologies that use thermodynamic or optical detection are not specifically addressed, but may be adapted into future versions of this practice.
1.2 This practice considers instrumental (post-sampling) trace detection performance, involving specific chemical analytes across eight types of explosive formulations in the presence of a standard background challenge material. This practice adapts Test Method E2677 for the evaluation of limit of detection, a combined metric of measurement sensitivity and repeatability, which requires ETDs to have numerical responses.
1.3 This practice considers the effective detection throughput of an ETD by factoring in the sampling rate, interrogated swab area, and estimated maintenance requirements during a typical eight hour shift.
1.4 This practice does not require, but places extra value on, the specific identification of targeted compounds and explosive formulations.
1.5 This practice requires the use of a single set of ETD operational settings for calculating a system test score based on the factors described in