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Radiation Detection System

Radiation Detection System

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Gloriebeth Rabe
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13 views2 pages

Radiation Detection System

Radiation Detection System

Uploaded by

Gloriebeth Rabe
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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RADIATION DETECTION SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION TO RADIATION DETECTORS


For those who work with or around radiation, one of the most important factors is an
awareness of the levels of radiation around them. This is primarily accomplished through
the use of radiation detectors of varying types. A basic understanding of the different
types of detectors out there and how they work can go a long way both to finding the
best detector for the required task and also for maximizing the benefits of operating that
detector.

GEIGER COUNTERS

Many people, thinking of radiation detection, tend to group them all together under the
term “Geiger counters,” a misconception heartily encouraged by popular TV shows and
movies. While one of the most common types of radiation detector is in fact called a
“Geiger Mueller (G-M) tube,” the catchall phrase “Geiger Counter” isn’t always the most
appropriate. It applies to a very specific type of detector, and generally to a specific
application of that detector. Radiation detection devices are typically categorized by
either the type of detector element employed, or by the application involved. People will
refer to instruments as an Ion Chamber, or a Survey Meter, or a Contamination Meter, or
a Frisker Probe. Popular culture has so thoroughly subverted the proper usage of
“Geiger Counter” that using the phrase doesn’t generally provide enough information
about the device in question.

FIRST RADIATION DETECTORS

Since the early days of radiation testing by Roentgen and Becquerel, scientists have
sought ways to measure and observe the radiation given off by the materials they
worked with. One of the earliest means of capturing any sort of data from radioactivity
was a photographic plate. A photographic plate would be placed in the path/vicinity of a
radioactive beam or material. When the plate was developed, it would have spots or be
fogged from the exposure to the radiation. Henri Becquerel used a method similar to this
to demonstrate the existence of radiation in 1896.

Another common early detector was the electroscope. These used a pair of gold leaves
that would become charged by the ionization caused by radiation and repel each other.
This provided a means of measuring radiation with a better level of sensitivity than was
reliably possible using photographic plates. Depending on the arrangement of the device,
they could be configured to measure alpha or beta particles, and were a valuable tool for
early experiments involving radioactivity.

An interesting early device, borne out of a desire to measure the actual individual
particles or rays being emitted by a radioactive substance, as opposed to a more gross
measurement of a radioactive field, was the spinthariscope. Developed by William
Crookes, who had also invented the Crookes Tube used by Wilhelm Roentgen to
discover X-Rays, it used a zinc sulfide screen at the end of a tube, with a lens at the
other end, with a small amount of a radioactive substance near the zinc sulfide screen.
The zinc sulfide would react with the alpha particles emitted, and each interaction would
result in a tiny flash of light. This was one of the first means of counting a rate of decay,
albeit a very tedious one, as it meant scientists had to work in shifts watching and
literally counting the flashes of light. The spinthariscope wasn’t very practical as a long
term solution for radiation detection, though it did undergo a revival later in the
20th century as an educational tool. This tendency of certain materials to give off light
when exposed to radiation would also prove valuable in future radiation detection
technologies.

These early devices, and many others, such as cloud chambers, were valuable in
developing an understanding of the basic principles of radiation and conducting
important experiments that set the stage for later developments. This included
development of new types of radiation detectors, many of which are still in use today,
such as G-M Tubes, Ion Chambers, and Scintillators.

WHERE/WHEN YOU’D NEED RADIATION DETECTORS


An important part of knowing what type of detector to use is to have an idea of how and
where it will be used. Different applications and settings call for different types of
detectors, as each detector type has various ways it can be specialized to fit a role. The
applications for radiation detection instruments can be broadly categorized into a few
different core tasks: measurement, protection, and search.

Radiation measurement tasks are for situations where there is a known presence of
radioactive materials which need to be monitored. The goal with this type of detection is
awareness. Awareness of the strength of an established radioactive field, the boundaries
of a radioactive area, or simply of the spread of radioactive contamination. These are
settings where the presence of radiation is expected, or at least considered likely. The
requirements for detectors involved in these settings are unique, often with relatively
higher measurement ranges or with modifications needed to specifically look for one
type of radiation.

Radiation protection is similar to radiation measurement applications in the sense that it


is usually in a setting where radiation is expected to be found. However, the goals are
different. With radiation measurement settings, the goal is to monitor the radioactivity
itself, to be aware of fluctuations, boundaries, etc. With radiation protection, the goal is
monitoring people. Radiation dosimetry is the most common example of this, with
radiation badges being worn by medical personnel, nuclear industry workers, and many
other occupationally exposed workers all over the world. The importance of this is that it
provides protection from the most harmful effects of radiation exposure through
awareness, in that a wearer can keep informed of how much radiation they’ve been
exposed to, and how that corresponds to potential health effects, and alter their behavior
or position or schedule accordingly.

Radiation search differs from the other two basic categories of radiation detection
applications in that it is predicated both on the fact that radiation is not expected in the
area, and the desire to keep things that way. Primarily the goal of radiation security
personnel, first responders, or groups such as customs & border inspectors, radiation
search has a different set of requirements to mirror the significantly different
circumstances in which it takes place. Detectors need to be highly sensitive, with the
concern being more about smaller, concealed radioactive sources or materials.
Spectroscopy is often very helpful as well, since it is typically a small subset of
radioactive isotopes that are of concern, and being able to filter those out that are
present due to legitimate reasons such as medical treatment or just an accumulation of a
naturally occurring radioactive substance is important.

These three categories, and the varying tasks that fit inside them, help determine what
the best type of instrument or detector is best suited for the task.

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