ViridiScreen: a novel alpha characterisation sensor

Levels of radioactivity in contaminated buildings on nuclear licensed sites are measured in a variety of ways including surface monitoring, but the only method of analysis for alpha-emitting radioactivity in situ is with the use of monitors which are easily contaminated and damaged by grit and dust, and cannot be used in inaccessible areas, such as pipes. The aim of this feasibility study is to produce ‘ViridiScreen’, a detector based on the measurement of UV light emitted by alpha particles interacting with air, and test whether it is sufficiently robust for operation in hostile, radioactive environments such as pipes, glove boxes and high activity cells. ViridiScreen will fill a gap in the company’s suite of characterisation sensors: the remote sampling tool, ViridiScope®, and ultimately the more sophisticated in situ measuring tool ‘ViridiScan’; making Viridian Consultants the ‘Go To’ company for surface characterisation in the nuclear decommissioning industry globally – a market estimated to be worth £600bn. This capability will speed up the characterisation process on nuclear sites and allow them to be decommissioned faster and more safely.