Ready when it happens
When illicit radioactive material crosses a border, or airborne radiation releases arrive from nuclear incidents or attacks overseas, we must be prepared. Although unlikely, the potential outcomes of such events are substantial as outlined in the UK 2023 Risk Register . They could include long-term health effects, environmental contamination and disruption to food production, import and export and other domestic/international transport systems and possibly a panicking population.
Reliance on reactive responses and no access to immediately available data exacerbated the short and long-term consequences on human and environmental health in past radiological and nuclear incidents such as Chernobyl 1986 and Fukushima 2011. These effects extended beyond the country of origin in the case of Chernobyl, with lasting impact.
Developing and implementing strategies to bolster Radiological & Nuclear (R&N) detection and incident management capabilities proactively strengthens borders and emergency response, minimises the longevity and significance of the effects of an R&N incident when and if it occurs, and maximises the safety of people and infrastructure.
High-performance radiation technology can provide the dose, count and spectroscopic data needed for essential immediate response and radiation monitoring capabilities.
Kromek has the solution.
Instant radiation detection and personal protection
Equipping border personnel with the high-performance personal radiation detectors (PRDs), such as Kromek’s D3M and D3S, facilitates immediate action to keep the public and border team safe. Lightweight and wearable, these PRDs are an unnoticeable, simple addition to everyday safety equipment, yet provide the essential capabilities of constant monitoring and instant alarms whenever a gamma or neutron-emitting radioactive source is detected.
The D3S ID supplies users with the extra capability of real-time isotope ID, informing context-specific action on the ground discreetly from a paired phone or earpiece. The D3M can be paired with a phone to enable this extra capability of real-time isotope ID as well.
Unlike other PRDs on the market, the D3M can also store key spectral data, for later extraction and analysis by CBRN specialist teams to accurately inform next steps e.g. remediation procedures.
Accurate identification and localisation of sources from afar
The D5 RIID, the smallest and lightest RIID, packs everything into one ruggedised device. Illicit material can be seized with speed and precision using the D5 RIID’s ability to rapidly identify and locate radiological sources. Its medium resolution and high sensitivity enable a definitive confirmation of radioisotopes present in weak, mixed, shielded and heavily masked sources, ensuring no illicit radioactive material goes amiss or is moved illegally. NORM suppression and the ability to set dose rate thresholds supplies users with operational flexibility.
The Remote Mode of the D5 RIID allows the detector to be mounted on any UGV, ensuring operator safety by distancing the user from harmful radioactive sources and high-risk environments where an R&N incident or release may have occurred. Agnostic data is delivered in real-time to the remote operator via a wired or wirelessly connected device, whilst ANSI N42.42 data files can be sent to remote technical authorities for secondary adjudications.
Know exactly what you’re heading into
Not only can the D5 RIID be mounted on UGVs, but along with the D3M and D3S, it can also be fixed on vehicles ranging from patrol vehicles to armoured personnel carriers, tanks and boats. Having the detectors on these vehicular platforms allows large areas to be checked for R&N threats, and rapid emergency responses initiated, with those inside also equipped and ready to act once the alarm has been sounded. Simple to set up and use almost immediately with automatic calibration, no minutes are wasted in time-dependent situations with Kromek’s D range of radiation detectors.
Far-reaching situational awareness
The ability to integrate each detector into existing alarm networks and communications systems enhances situational awareness and the rapid passage of information, providing remote decision-makers with a comprehensive view of the entire situation to better coordinate next steps.
Constant monitoring at target sites
Always ready, always prepared, static detectors can be set up in key locations for constant monitoring of R&N threats.
PSI’s modular, networkable static PERM detector can quickly be assembled into gantry installations or stanchion configurations to monitor target areas with high vehicle or foot traffic. Its novel detection algorithm and large volume NaI scintillator with high sensitivity maximises the detector and identification of radioisotopes in low SNR conditions and in sources concealed within vehicles on the move.
For emergency release monitoring across large areas, Kromek’s Static Nodes go beyond simple radiation dose measurements and hourly readings, maximising the extent of information available about the affected area with high quality spectroscopic data for more effective emergency response and decontamination strategies. The Static Node R continuously supplies extensive spectral data such as the exact radioisotopes present to remote decision-makers via robust satellite communications, with flexible battery options reducing the risk of interruptions. Only taking 15 minutes to set up and being rapidly relocatable, these ruggedised, self-contained detectors can be stationed anywhere, no matter how remote or war-torn the location. Border posts and critical infrastructure e.g. industry plants, electricity-generating plants, around cities, communication nodes or key transport facilities can all be under constant surveillance.
The in-built automated health monitoring and calibration sends an alert to the network if the detector is out of calibration, further saving time in unnecessary maintenance checks.
Reliably supplying radiological data in the harshest conditions
Further expanding the versatility of the proven Static Node system design is the high dose sensor, far exceeding current competitor capabilities by offering reliable dose detection of up to 100 Sv/h. Quality spectral measurements can be consistently taken, even in the most high-dose environments.
As geopolitcal unrest and conflict including terrorist activity continues, the unlikely risks in the UK 2023 Risk Register are getting closer to the likely. By implementing diverse R&N detection, identification and monitoring systems across our borders, we are prepared to counter these risks, and ensure strategies in place are adaptable to the incident at hand with extensive spectral data available in the field, and accessible to remote decision-makers and/or response authority.
Be prepared to protect your nation.
You can find the original article on pages 134-135, Edition 3, 2024 of the Military Systems and Technology magazine
