Radiation Monitoring System: Ensuring Safety and Environmental Protection

Radiation monitoring systems are deployed on a large scale to monitor the ambient gamma radiation in radiological controlled areas (power plants, nuclear facilities and border control).

Access and portal monitors are used for personnel exiting and entering contaminated or potentially contaminated areas. These instruments generally measure alpha, beta and gamma radiations.

The radiation monitoring system is an important component of your nuclear facility and is designed to detect and alert personnel to ionizing radiation. These systems can be used for continuous monitoring of a territory or environment’s radiological status; in order to quickly detect and warn about possible dispersals of radioactive material, it is essential that they be highly sensitive and efficient.

Gamma TRACER

GammaTRACER is a turnkey system for environmental radiation monitoring in air, soil and water. It is designed to meet the needs of nuclear installations, areas surrounding them and other sensitive sites, as well as for nationwide early warning systems.

The sensors of the GammaTRACER network are autonomous gamma probes, equipped with Geiger Muller detectors and capable of continuously measuring and logging ambient radiation levels in real time. They also provide data archiving on removable compact flash cards. They are powered by a 12 V battery backed up by solar panels, making them portable and ideal for use in any environment.

The GammaTRACER probes are available in five different types (BASIC, WIDE, HIGH, XL2-2 and XL2-2-3). They differ mainly by the counter tubes, which enable a broad range of applications. These radiological probes are hermetically sealed, making them suitable for both mobile and stationary tasks. In combination with SkyLINK or ShortLINK radio transmission systems, they can transmit online data to a central station.

The BAB A7 is a turnkey system for environmental radiation monitoring in air, soil and water. This system can monitor and report on radioactive contamination using a high-purity germanium detector that is capable of detecting all nuclides in a sample. It can also detect the presence of radionuclides in groundwater and air samples. The BAB A7 has an intelligent alpha/beta continuous air monitor that allows for user-set alarms and local or remote reporting. It can also record and display the gamma dose rate over time with data storage for several weeks.

The BAB A7 is a mobile aerosol beacon designed for nuclear facilities and offers continuous control of atmospheric air contamination by artificial Alpha and Beta radioactive aerosols combined with radon progenies and ambient gamma. It is available in stationary or mobile versions for different applications, such as effluent control. The BAB A7 can be coupled to an external gamma probe for broader environmental radiation monitoring (with a corresponding recording function and local graphic display of volume activities). BAB A7 performs automatic compensation of radon progenies to reduce the measurement error caused by the dual time constant of the natural gamma background and radon activity.

Saphymo

Saphymo offers a complete turnkey system for environmental radiation monitoring in air, soil, and water. Its range includes gamma, neutron and radioactive ion detection. It also provides access control, personal radiation protection, contamination monitoring and fixed chains solutions.

Radiation monitors work on the principle of excitation action between materials, using a scintillator that emits weak light when ionized by radiation. The signal is amplified and converted to an electronic reading by photomultiplier tubes. It is possible to use the measurement data to determine the location of contamination.

The company’s products include a portable radon detector, which measures radoon concentration indoor and outdoor with high accuracy. Its AlphaE radon meter is widely used in mining, geological surveys, and radiation protection regulations. Its RCVL2/S7 portal monitor is designed for a quick deployment in critical areas to reduce exposure to personnel. It can transmit its data via LAN, WIFI, GPRS/3G, satellite or proprietary SkyLINK/ShortLINK radio. Its mobile probes are also designed to withstand extreme climatic conditions.

Chemical Detection Is Essential For First Responders

When something is wrong, like weird symptoms or an unusual smell in a place where there shouldn’t be any, first responders need to know what’s present. This is why they rely on chemical detection.

This is why Bertin Environics developed Second Sight, a full scene coverage gas detector for CWA and TIC detection and classification. This handheld device is the ideal tool to support first responders in their work.

Stationary and Portable Equipment

Chemical threats require a variety of devices to be monitored, detected and remotely identified. Whether the aim is to prevent the spread of a known chemical agent or to detect unknown chemicals released during a terrorist attack, identifying the exact chemicals present is crucial.

Early civilian responders to a domestic incident that may involve CWAs do not have the benefit of intelligence information on what chemicals are likely to be used. As a result, they must use detectors that provide accurate measurement results in complex mixtures without excessive false alarms.

Bertin Technologies offers a range of stationary and portable equipment for the surveillance, detection, classification and remote identification of Chemical Warfare Agents (CWA) and Toxic Industrial Compounds (TIC) accidentally or deliberately dispersed in the environment. These devices can be mounted on vehicles and are designed to operate at long distances with no degradation of performance using a passive sensor, scanner and a stand-off Ion Mobility Spectrometer.

The handheld ChemProX is an early warning chemical detector for the detection and classification of CWAs and TICs. The device was developed together with first response professionals and enables full situational awareness during field operations.

This allows the team to respond quickly and efficiently, for example by identifying the exact location of the leaking substance in order to initiate appropriate countermeasures. The device also displays the results on the human machine interface. This provides the incident commander with concrete information, for example on a specific point of contamination and the name of the detected chemical gas.

The device is easy to operate, with a user-friendly interface and wireless connectivity. It has a built-in simulation mode for training and can be easily networked with other devices. In addition, it has a GPS function for real-time transmission of test results and location data. All of this makes ChemProX a reliable partner in CBRN tasks.