Spectrometer aids cleanup of sites with radioactive contamination

Spectrometer aids cleanup of sites with radioactive contamination

The staff at Oregon State University College of Engineering has been working on a new type of radiation detection and measurement device that will be particularly useful for cleaning up sites with radioactive contamination. A patent has been granted on this new type of radiation spectrometer, and the first production of devices will begin soon. The advance has also led to creation of a Corvallis-based spinoff company, Avicenna Instruments, based on the Oregon State University research.

A spectrometer developed by engineers at Oregon State University will help speed the cleanup of nuclear waste sites and reduce costs.

“The spectrometer is more efficient, and able to measure and quantify both gamma and beta radiation at the same time,” said David Hamby, an OSU professor of health physics. “Before this, two different types of detectors and other chemical tests were needed in a time-consuming process. This system will provide accurate results in 15 minutes that currently might take half a day.” The spectrometer, developed over 10 years by Hamby and assistant professor Abi Farsoni, can quickly tell the type and amount of radionuclides present in something like a soil sample. And it can distinguish between gamma rays and beta particles, which is necessary to determine the level of contamination.

Oregon State University has contracted with Ludlum Instruments of Sweetwater, TX, to produce the first instruments, and the Oregon State University Office of Technology Transfer is seeking a licensee for commercial development. The electronic systems for the spectrometers will be produced in Oregon by Avicenna Instruments. For more information, see oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/.

Jim Harrison