New technologies boost radiation detector effectiveness.

• Author: Insinna, Valerie
• Position: SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

As the neutron-detecting material Helium 3 grows ever more expensive and scarce, companies that make radiation detectors are looking for alternatives offering better performance at a comparable price.

A new product, the RIIDEye X 111 manufactured by Thermo Scientific, replaces Helium 3 with a material called CLYC.

Not only can CLYC be used to identify gamma and neutron radiation, "we actually doubled the detection efficiency for neutrons for the same volume of Helium 3," said Jim Monde, the company's director of homeland security and defense.

The Departments of Defense and Homeland Security are phasing out procurement of devices that use Helium 3, but Thermo is among the first companies to integrate CLYC into products, he said. CLYC is still expensive, but prices will decrease as use of the material becomes more widespread.

Besides the use of CLYC, the RIIDEye X incorporates other changes that differentiate it from legacy RIlDs, or Radiation Isotope Identification Devices, Monde said. RIIDs analyze the spectrum of radiation in order to identify specific radioactive materials. For example, the RIIDEye X identifies gamma and neutron radiation within solids, liquids and semi-solids and can be used on food or people.

Thermo improved detection accuracy through a patented algorithm that allows the device to identify radiation in real time.

A different algorithm enhances the detection of special nuclear materials such as plutonium. Most RIIDs are set to identify special nuclear materials within a pre-prograrnmed scan time, which can potentially...