Major improvements in liquid scintillation counter technology

23rd September 2010

The Hidex 300SL, an automatic liquid scintillation counter that is highly popular with both large and small nuclear counting laboratories, has been the subject of hardware and software upgrades that enhance both its capability and versatility.

Introduced in 2008, the Hidex 300SL proved an immediate success as it incorporated the novel technique of using three photomultipliers placed 120° from each other in a triple co-incidence (TDCR) configuration. The main advantage of TDCR is the easy and straightforward method of obtaining counting efficiency of the samples without any external or internal standard source of radioactivity.

The upgrades include a new stacker system that enhances the unique tray system of the Hidex 300SL in which the vials are placed on a sample tray in a matrix of either 8x12 7ml vials or 5x8 20ml vials. This means the trays can also be used in sample preparation instruments such as liquid handling stations. The stacker extends this capacity to 960 and 400 samples respectively.

Live spectrum display and multi-parameter handling are new software features that make it simple to adapt the Hidex 300SL for new applications such as a metrology version and a low background version.

Southern Scientific provides a comprehensive range of radiation measuring instruments for use both in the laboratory and in the field.