Portable beta spectrometer/dosimeter

Conference · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.1984.4333340· OSTI ID:5653556

Erkkila, B H; Waechter, D A; Brake, R J

As part of an ongoing program to upgrade health and safety radiation survey instruments, the Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed a portable, battery-operated, computerized beta spectrometer/dosimeter. The instrument will support many different detectors, but the one chosen here is a combination plastic scintillator and NaI crystal. The instrument includes pulse conditioning circuits, 128-channel pulse height analyzer with integral liquid crystal display, and a microcomputer system which calculates dose and dose rate from betas incident on the detector. Instrument operating life is about 8 hours between charges. The instrument will, at the user's option, display a beta spectrum or the accumulated dose in millirad, as well as give the user beta dose rates in millirad per hour. Data accumulated in the instrument can be read out through an RS-232 serial port on the instrument. The entire unit weighs 8 pounds, including internal batteries, and is packaged in a small case 25-cm long, 15-cm wide, and 15-cm high.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5653556
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-83-2959; CONF-831015-9; ON: DE84001714
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440102* -- Radiation Instrumentation-- Radiation Dosemeters
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
BETA DOSIMETRY
BETA SPECTROMETERS
COMPUTERS
DESIGN
DOSEMETERS
DOSIMETRY
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
MICROPROCESSORS
NAI DETECTORS
PLASTIC SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
RADIATION DETECTORS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SOLID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
SPECTROMETERS