Hidex 300 SL

Liquid Scintillation Counter

Similar to the standard instrument the Hidex 300 SL super low-level scintillation counter is equipped with additional lead shielding, low-level PMT detectors, and an active guard detector for further background reduction.

Ideal for 3H in water measurements, other low-level environmental monitoring, radiocarbon dating and biofuel verification.

New Active Guard
The Active Guard is a separate scintillator detector which measures and subtracts real-time background radiation. The guard can be turn off for high energy samples and does not interfere with alpha/beta separation.

The 300 SL utilises a unique design with three photomultiplier detectors aligned 120 degrees from each other, which offers superior efficiency and counting results for both advanced research and environmental work.

In addition, the 300 SL can be used in triple coincidence mode only, which removes interference from chemiluminescence and the need to dark adapt. The counter can also be operated in dual coincidence mode using conventional standards and quench correction methods.

Quench curves can be generated and stored within the MikroWin software, which can be automatically applied or manually fitted to recalculate previous data.

Optimal Lead Shield Design

A minimum of 70 mm lead in all directions provides excellent shielding and minimises instrument weight.

Lead Shutter
Reduces cosmic radiation.

Copper Shielding
Eliminates X-rays from lead shield.

Measurement Chamber
Highly reflective proprietary paint maximises photon detection.

Robotic Loading Arm
Removes the need for a complex elevator mechanism, preventing jams, and is easily serviceable.

PMTs
Three PMTs detectors in coincidence mode provide optimal counting geometry and facilitate TDCR calculations.

The TDCR method allows easy determination of sample counting efficiency without the use of any internal or external standard source of radioactivity, offering many benefits for the modern lab including no hidden disposal costs, no health hazard when servicing, and no transportation restrictions.

Radiochemical analysis of environmental and nuclear decommissioning samples

Radsol CEO Dr. Jung-Suk Oh's laboratory houses three Hidex 300 SL liquid scintillation counters.

The Hidex 300 SL is being used by Radsol for the radiochemical analysis of environmental and nuclear decommissioning samples in South Korea. The country is the world’s fifth biggest generator of nuclear energy with a total of 26 reactors providing 26 GWe of electricity, approximately a third of all electricity produced. Two reactors – Kori 1 and Wolsong 1 – have been shut down and are currently in the process of being decommissioned.

Radsol specialises in the measurement and analysis of radioisotopes, providing the Korean Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) with a range of radioanalytical services including measuring ³H in seawater, bioassays for radiation workers, and nuclear waste characterisation. The company has three 300 SLs to achieve a high throughput of work.

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Quantifying radiolabelled CECs

The ARIEL team at the University of Surrey with Dr. Al Sid Cheikh (second from right) with Product Specialist Luke Brammer (far right).

Hidex instruments are being used by the University of Surrey’s Applied-RadioIsotope and Environmental Laboratory (ARIEL) to research and understand the fate and behaviour of contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs). CECs are pollutants such as domestic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural runoff detected in bodies of water.

Lead by Dr. Maya Al Sid Cheikh, the research is specifically concerned with nanoplastics, which are ubiquitous in domestic products and discharged in large quantities from industrial processes and can have devastating impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, and food chains. Maya and her team at ARIEL are trying to trace these from origin through to dispersion in the environment and living organisms to understand how long they persist by ¹⁴C radiolabeling.

You can find out more about ARIEL's research by clicking the button below.

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Radiometric analysis of heavier actinides

The Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering. The Mines Radiochemistry Lab uses radioactive elements to solve complex problems in nuclear energy, the separation and purification of metals, the disposal of nuclear waste, and the environment.

The school’s lab is also one of only two university labs in the world that experiments with rare and highly radioactive heavy actinide elements such as Berkelium, Einsteinium, and Fermium. Research Assistant Professor Jessica Jackson has been using the Hidex 300 SL for a range of radiometric analysis experiments using alpha-beta discrimination. The LSC’s unique topographical 3D separation was a key reason why the school procured the Hidex over another model.

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The decommissioning of Royal Navy nuclear submarines

Radiochemists at Babcock Marine's Rosyth Radiochemistry Laboratory (RCL) have been using the Hidex 300 SL to determine tritium and carbon-14 in samples as part of the Ministry of Defence’s Submarine Dismantling Project. The RCL is responsible for analysing environmental samples from both the Rosyth Dockyard itself and the decommissioned submarines berthed there.

Click the button below to find out what Radiochemist Lionel Serafini thinks of the 300 SL.

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Advanced tritium analysis at nuclear power stations

Three Hidex 300 SL liquid scintillation counters have been installed at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar nuclear power plant where it is used by the Chemistry Department to count tritium in various plant samples, including gaseous and liquid effluents. The NPP generates enough electricity for 1,200,000 homes.

We spoke to Radiological Chemist Brooke Underwood. Click the button below to find out what she had to say.

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