Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Scintillation crystals, PMTs, voltage dividers etc...
vpozew
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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by vpozew » 22 Jan 2020, 09:20

Thanks Taray for the software . Here is what I achieved! For calibrating I've used a spark tube with Cs137
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Viktor

Taray
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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by Taray » 22 Jan 2020, 17:29

Viktor
Great...
Was the calibration a cumbersome affair?
Could you adjust the sensitivity while checking simultaneously at the dose rate without need to restart or anything like that?
Does the dose rate still hold for lower and higher energies.?
I am saying this cos it is done for 3 different kev ranges with different sources in Pdsmass
Taray

vpozew
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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by vpozew » 23 Jan 2020, 08:26

Hi Taray,

I've spent a lot of time on the calibrating but I'm not certain that I did it all right . The result is pretty good. For calibrating I used two sources a Cs137 spark tube and a Am241 gas detector . I did the sensitivity adjustment without any restarting , with real time readings and compared it with my radioscan. It probably needs one more source of Co60 but I don't have it.
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Am241
Am241
Viktor

gravelmonkey
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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by gravelmonkey » 17 Feb 2020, 22:08

Hi All, I've lurked here for a while and recently registered!

Owner of a PDS-100G, my background radiation dose rate seems a bit higher than readings on my kit-built Geiger counters (PDS-100G reads 0.20uSv/Hr, geigers are roughly 0.09uSv/hr).

Given nothing I own is calibrated, I'm obviously comparing unknown to another unknown...

Is there any way of checking the PDS-100G without sending it to a lab for calibration?

Many thanks in advance!
Will

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Svilen
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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by Svilen » 18 Feb 2020, 23:11

Hi Will,
You either need a source with known activity (most common is Cs-137) or a calibrated instrument to compare with. At least I don't know other way.
Environmental dose rates measured with the devices you mention is anyway a great estimation. If you use these kits, uncalibrated with GM tubes like the SBM-20 for example, you can be more than 30% wrong ;)

Greetings
Svilen

gravelmonkey
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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by gravelmonkey » 19 Feb 2020, 00:00

Thanks Svilen, I assumed as much! It was more curiosity than anything else.

I captured a (short) acquisition from a friend who'd recently had some kind of nuclear medical procedure, they couldn't remember the name of the isotope they were given, I suspect it to be Tc-99m, but until I track down the software, I'm just guessing!

Counts were c.2500 CPS at a distance of around 20cm, background of 50 CPS.

I've also recently been to a town in Cornwall, UK, with uranium mineralisation/mining history. Good news- I found a nice lump of rock with reasonably high concentration of uraninite - the PDS with (expired calibration) was giving me a reading of 3000+ CPS, and 8.4uSv/hr. Bad news- it was built into a wall next to a public footpath!
Will

Stratal83
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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by Stratal83 » 11 Mar 2020, 23:59

Hi everyone !

I'm currently looking for gamma spectrometer that isn't too expensive. That's how I've discovered this topic !

The PDS 100G looks like a really nice device with a wide range of functions and I'm very tempted to get one. However the spectrometer that I'm looking for needs to be sensitive enough to detect Cs137 traces in soils and/or mushrooms. I live in France next to the german broad where soils are known to be contaminated by tchernobyl and I'd like to investigate this by myself around my place.

Has any one tried something like that with the PDS 100G ?

Thanks for your help.

Alain
Alain, France

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Svilen
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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by Svilen » 13 Mar 2020, 02:18

Hi Alain,
Welcome to the forum. It would be good to introduce yourself shortly in the "Introductions" board and put your location (France) to the signature or in the proper field in User Control Panel --> Profile.

The PDS is surely a nice device, because it's small and portable detector/spectrometer, but it is designed mainly to find relatively high radioactive sources, so it wouldn't be a good option for your exact application.
Svilen

Stratal83
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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by Stratal83 » 13 Mar 2020, 03:08

Thank you Svilen this is what I thought... the Mirion is an amazing device to have something portative. I might still get one to introduce myself to spectrometry and then move to something more efficient to do longer mesurements on low energy sources with additional shielding.

PS: Introduction done ;)
Alain, France

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Re: Mirion PDS 100G, Spectrometric Personal Radiation Detector

Post by iRad » 13 Mar 2020, 12:52

Hi Alain - I would highly recommend Steven's GS-USB-PRO along with a good scintillator detector for the task. Steven (the site owner) also sells a very nice line of professional probes. If under a tighter budget, I have some very good used ones available that are up to the task as well. You can see my eBay listings and contact me directly through private messaging if interested. I have temporarily stopped eBay sales from shipping outside of the US until the COVID-19 threat dies down, however I may still ship directly with the understanding that delays are very possible.
Cheers, Tom Hall / IRAD INC / Stuart, FL USA
Please check out my eBay Store: http://stores.ebay.com/The-Rad-Lab

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