From Early Warning To Identification
A White Paper By Mirion Technologies
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Credit: Mirion Technologies, 2011
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Since the second half of the XXth century, the nuclear threat has been – and still remains – one of the major threat in terms of weapons of mass destruction which armed forces have been prepared to face. More recently, new radiological threats have occurred, such as technological hazards, dirty bombs, terrorism scenarios, or illicit trafficking of radioactive materials, covering a wide range of situations beyond military contingencies alone. Prevention and fighting against such risks have stressed the need for new functional and technical requirements and the necessity to get new detection devices better suited for applications for Defense, Homeland Security or Hazmat .
Mirion Technologies, based on its long experience in nuclear instrumentation, has taken into account this technological trend by proposing a new range of innovative and performing solutions.
Equipment for nuclear detection or for radiological detection are similar, but key differences nevertheless exist depending on the nature of the threat:
- when facing a nuclear detection situation, equipment are featuring high measurement range, are rugged and hardened with specific protections (as against TREE or EMP effects) ;
- to counter radiological risks, equipment are featuring a capability to detect and quantify radiation (X and gamma) down to low levels and surface contamination as well (alpha and beta) ;
- to fight terrorism and illicit trafficking of nuclear materials, equipment feature very high sensitivity and capability to detect unattended sources and discriminate dangerous nuclides from those considered as natural or medical isotopes.
All these detection devices are part of MIRION Technologies’s catalogue and can be proposed either as fix-based warning detectors, as pocket or handle equipment, or as mobile units. MIRION’s new range of detectors, from radiation portals to pocket devices, is now taking benefits of gamma spectrometry. This technology features accurate identification of isotopes, “innocent alarms” discrimination, and resolution of masking scenarios. MIRION Technologies’ instruments are therefore providing solutions for a faster and more reliable decision-making process, allowing better risk assessment in field conditions.
MIRION’s new range of detectors, from radiation portals to pocket devices, is now taking benefits of gamma spectrometry. This technology features accurate identification of isotopes, “innocent alarms” discrimination, and resolution of masking scenarios.
This White Paper focuses on the following five nuclear detection equipment:
1. SOR-R/T
2. MULTIRAD-LLR
3. HDS-100G/GN.
4. SPIR-IDENT
5. RADIAC SYSTEM