FH 40 Lab-1 Mobile Radiation Laboratory

The portable measuring equipment FH 40 Lab-1/FH 40 G will strongly reduce the loss of time in cases of emergency involving radioactive contaminations because it is an easy to handle mobile radiation laboratory operated on site.  Decisive advantages of the system are:

• high mobility
• reproducible sample geometry
• comparability of measurements

The FH 40 Lab-1/FH 40 G is used for immediate in-situ measurements of alpha and beta contaminations.  For example:

• filters and filter systems
• smear tests
• soil samples
• foodstuffs, milk
• water, etc.

The multipurpose radiameter FH 40 G itself is able to determine the actual gamma doserate.

Operating Sequence for a Sample Measurement:

1. The sample holder is opened and a sample planchet or sample cup is inserted.
2. With the probe FHZ 732 GM above the sample, the cover is closed.
3. A measurement with the radiameter FH 40 G, using preset time or preset count, can be executed.
4. The result can be stored in the internal memory of the survey meter.

With a measuring time of only five minutes, the detection limit is approximately 500 Bq/kg for Cs-137.  This allows monitoring of limit values according to WHO intervention guidelines (e.g., fruits 7,000 Bq/kg; milk 4,500 Bq/kg; drinking water 7,000 Bq/kg).

The radiological equipment for 371 special NBC detection vehicles was delivered by Thermo.  The "Bundesamt für Zivilschultz" (German Federal Office for Civil Defense) decided on the NBR radioactivity detection system from Thermo Scientific.

The system is comprised of the radiameter FH 40 G with an integrated proportional counter tube and a FHZ 672-2 NBR scintillation probe.

While driving, the high-sensitive scintillation probe recognizes even a minimum of artificial gamma radiation in the measurement range of nSv/h, in a wide area.  The measured track of radioactivity is automatically shown on a digital map supported by GPS.  As the main instrument of the radiological equipment, the Radiameter FH 40 G has the German PTB approval as well as the German Fire-Brigade-Approval.

The patented NBR technology has also been approved by the TÜV Hannover/Sachsen-Anhalt.