A prototype of a portable TDCR system at ENEA

Area of Science:

• Nuclear instrumentation
• Radiochemistry
• Metrology

Background:

• Development of portable radioactivity measurement systems is crucial for field applications.
• The Triple-to-Double Coincidence Ratio (TDCR) technique offers a self-efficiency method for liquid scintillation counting.
• Existing systems may lack portability or advanced data analysis features.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a prototype portable liquid scintillation counting system.
• To validate the system's performance for activity measurements of pure beta-emitters.
• To integrate pulse shape discrimination capabilities for enhanced analysis.

Main Methods:

• Development of a portable liquid scintillation counter prototype.
• Utilizing CAEN digitizers for data acquisition.
• Analysis of list-mode data using CERN ROOT software with pulse shape discrimination.

Main Results:

• Successful development of a functional portable liquid scintillation counting system prototype.
• Demonstrated capability for accurate activity measurements of 99Tc and 63Ni.
• Implementation of pulse shape discrimination for improved data analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed portable TDCR system shows promise for accurate radioactivity measurements.
• The integration of advanced data analysis, including pulse shape discrimination, enhances the system's utility.
• This prototype represents a significant advancement in portable radioactivity detection technology.