Over the past year, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) has tested and assessed Bertin Instruments’ SaphyRAD C multiprobe survey meter. As a result, a technical letter has been issued, describing the many tests performed on the device equipped with external smart probes.
As a polyvalent multiprobe survey meter, the SaphyRAD C was specially designed for the contamination control of alpha and beta radiations in complex environments. Featuring a high performance algorithm, it allows for fast and reliable detection of ionizing radiations for varied civil applications. Equipped with a comprehensive range of innovative probes, it is dedicated to the search of radioactive sources, as well as the measurement of many types of contamination.
Thanks to a robust and ergonomic design (3.5” high image quality color LCD display, 6 large buttons), it can be easily handled with gloves by non-specialists. The instrument provides an adaptative library of 20 radionuclides and four measurement modes: direct, indirect, detection and counting level. Two utilization modes are thus available – fixed contamination control or smear control – making the SaphyRAD C ideal for continuous background measurement and control of objects placed in front of the device.
The CEA teams carried out four tests on the SaphyRAD C and its external probes, aiming at evaluating the following points: the radiodiffusion, decision thresholds, area sources detection performances, 25-mm point source measurements.
The tests’ conclusions show that the “SaphyRAD C is a good field contamination meter that can reach regulation controled values of objects, textiles, workstations, premises, etc. The main assets of this device are its easy use and robustness, as well as the distance control sensor. Moreover, its numerous probes make the device compliant with most situations, and its various options make it adapted to several control posts (foot and smear drawer)”