B-RAD is a portable radiation survey meter, capable of operating in the presence of strong magnetic fields and simultaneously able to detect a range of radiation including α, β, γ (and neutrons) with high sensitivity. Originally developed at CERN for monitoring in radiation areas such as the LHC experiments, a number of other applications quickly became apparent and the project applied to the KT Fund to further develop its functionality and scale-up for manufacture. In 2015, B-RAD was successfully licensed to the Italian company ELSE Nuclear, who specialize in standard as well as highly customized products for a wide range of applications in sectors such as environmental radiation monitoring systems, radiation protection instrumentation, nuclear power plant decommissioning, and nuclear medicine. Through a partnership with CERN, ELSE Nuclear will therefore ensure dissemination of the technology by bringing B-RAD to the market as a commercially available product. Also in 2015, B-RAD was tested in a 3T magnetic field at the MRI scanning facility at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), in Lausanne, Switzerland, which confirmed its operational capacity. Readout displays, both the LCD of the B-RAD device and a 2.7” e-paper display (for potential use in the commercial product), were also tested in the scanner and found to function without problem. Radiation measurements at medical PET/MRI scanners are a principal market application for B-RAD, so data collected from such a site is very useful in confirming functionality and highlighting areas for potential future development.
The commercial version of B-RAD will consist of a central unit and a series of probes for beta/gamma dose rate measurements that also includes a telescopic version for measurements at distance, measurements of surface contamination, gamma spectrometry and neutron dose rate measurements.
Technical contact: Marco Silari (HSE Unit)