Portable tritium air monitoring using the Model 400AC
18th September 2024
At a glance
> The Model 400AC by Overhoff Technology Corporation is a compact tritium air monitor that measures gaseous tritium in nuclear facilities and the environment.
> It has an exceptionally rapid response as it can disregard the background from ambient radon in the environment.
> It uses four 200 cc ion chambers arranged in a cruciform geometry to ensure near-perfect gamma compensation regardless of photon energy, flux gradient, or flux direction.
Measuring gaseous tritium in nuclear power and the environment
As a byproduct of nuclear fission and experimental nuclear fusion, tritium presents a risk in the energy sector that is well understood. Preventing exposure through inhalation or skin absorption is vitally important to ensuring worker safety.
Overhoff Technology Corporation’s Model 400AC is a light, portable tritium air monitor designed for measurements of gaseous tritium as low as 100 kBq/m3 in nuclear facilities and environmental monitoring. It can quantify the concentration of 3H in the air in units of µCi/m3, Bq/m3, or offer a dose estimate in µSv/h, allowing users to work safely. The effects of long-term drift have been eliminated from the 400AC’s design, and with no requirement for manual zero adjustments, it is ready to use in less than minute after switching on.
Eliminating radon and gamma background
When monitoring tritium, the 400AC has an exceptionally rapid response because of its ability to disregard background noise from other sources. For example, in instances where very low levels of tritium must be monitored, it can ignore responses to ambient radon, providing fast, accurate, drift-free measurements to as low as 100 kBq/m3.
It can also minimize background interference using its gamma compensation function. Misleading readings caused by gamma radiation present in nuclear facilities can lead to an overestimation of tritium concentration. However, the 400AC has four 200 cc ion chambers arranged in a cruciform geometry to ensure near-perfect compensation regardless of photon energy, flux gradient, or flux direction, making it the ideal solution for monitoring at nuclear sites.
Find out more
You can learn more about Overhoff Technology Corporation’s Model 400AC by clicking the button below to speak to a product specialist directly.