RE: Portable gamma spectroscopy

["Michael Ford" <MFORD@PANTEX.COM>]

Rick,



My experience has been that the Berkeley-Nucleonics SAM 935 would be a very good instrument for your needs.  You can get it with a variety of NaI detectors and even neutron detection.  We have compared it's performance to that of our Canberra HPGe System and have found it to perform very favorably (although you are accepting many tradeoffs in the process).



With a nod to previous comments on the need for a solid background in gamma spectroscopy for any of these types of instruments, the SAM allows an experienced individual to set up alarm levels and search libraries so that you do not end up chasing ghosts when you hand it over to a person with little or no gamma spec experience.  In short, you can make the operation of the instrument as simple or as detailed as you desire.



I have never used the Exploraniums, but I have looked at their sales literature.  In comparison to the SAM-935s, I would think the smaller detector might affect its performance in certain situations and for certain isotopes.  The SAMs also have a proprietary QCC technology that makes the signal processing performance very good.



FYI, I have "heard" that the DOE is now using the SAMs for emergency response activities.



v/r

Michael







********************

Michael S. Ford, CHP

Program Manager

Dosimetry & Radiological Measurements

Radiation Safety Department

BWXT Pantex, LLC

mford@pantex.com

********************



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