Plastic Scintillator Detector for Surface Radiation Contamination

Surface radiation contamination refers to the presence of radioactive materials on surfaces, such as equipment, floors, walls, clothing, or skin. This contamination occurs when radioactive particles or substances settle onto a surface, either through direct contact, airborne deposition, or liquid spills. Unlike radiation exposure, which results from being near a radiation source, surface contamination involves actual radioactive material (e.g. alpha, beta and gamma emitting radionuclides) being present on the surface, which can pose ongoing hazards if not properly contained or removed. Surface contaminations are often measured and quantified as radiation rate (i.e. the amount of radiation coming from a source (or in an area) during a period) or radiation dose (i.e. the amount of radiation that is absorbed).

Plastic scintillator is advantageous for radiation dosimetry, particularly in medical applications like radiotherapy, small field dosimetry, and IMRT QA. While plastic scintillators offer excellent tissue equivalencies, miniaturized sizes, and energy independence in the MV Range, challenges such as low signal-to-noise ratio and material degradation are being actively addressed to improve their long-term performance.

Hangzhou Shalom EO offers custom surface contamination plastic scintillator detector series that recognizes and measures sources that emit alpha and/or beta particle radiations. Our plastic scintillator detector series a core constituent element optimized for alpha/beta radiation detection devices. Shalom EO’s plastic scintillator surface radiation contamination detectors are developed based on the SP121 (which is equivalent to EJ444) plastic scintillator, in addition to photomultiplier tubes, electronic modules, Mylar polyester films, steel mesh, and an aluminum housing. The ionizing radiations generate light pulses from the scintillators, and the light signals are multiplied and converted into photoelectron currents at the output anode of the photomultiplier tubes, and the current will be transformed into readable voltage pulses. The electronic modules can be a flexible combination of voltage divider, high voltage unit, preamplifier, and digitization unit, allowing further integration.

Utilizing α and/or β radiation detection and monitoring techniques with its sensitive scintillator, wide radiation measurement range, and adaptable electronics module design, Shalom EO’s plastic scintillation surface contamination detector series is well-suited for incorporation into surface contamination detectors for detecting alpha and/or beta radioactive contaminants. The scintillation detector and measurement modules are excellent for a wide range of applications, including portable radiation detector probes, hand and foot monitors, and floor contamination monitors.

Three detection modes are available for our scintillation radiation contamination detectors: detection of alpha particles, detection of beta particles, and a combination of two scintillators allowing simultaneous alpha and beta detection. The scintillator can be manufactured in different geometries and sizes based on the user's specific requirements. Standard construction for optical transmission is optical cavity structure, whereas polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) lightguide can also be used to improve the efficiencies of light collection and enhance signal light transmission. Our scintillation plastic detectors also support diverse output signal formats, ensuring compatibility with different data acquisition and processing modules and accommodating various application scenarios.