(Click here for a larger view of Thermo Fisher's PM12)Perhaps the least portable device
WindowsForDevices.com has ever featured, the massive PM12 weighs either 1800 pounds or 2200 pounds, depending on whether the purchaser has selected half an inch or one inch of lead shielding for its frame. With an internal passage 28 inches wide, the portal measures 86.2 x 37 x 23.7 inches overall.
Personnel at a nuclear plant or other sensitive facility walk through the device from either side, passing through three gamma radiation detector assemblies on each side of the portal, and two additional detectors for monitoring their heads and feet. The device achieves measurements of 370 Bq (becquerels) of 60Co (Cobalt-60), says Thermo Fisher.
Operators of the PM12 can choose to set alarms that trigger on the basis of activity adjacent to any individual detector, of activity at the center of the portal, or any combination. In addition, a supplementary alarm warms of significant changes in background radiation during a test. The portal's "Quickscan" feature significantly reduces counting time, the company adds.
In normal operation, the PM12 can be operated entirely via an alarm acknowledge switch. The switch silences the audible alarm that sounds after contamination has been detected, and resets the indicator lights located on both sides of the portal's frame. The system indicator lights are as follows, according to Thermo Fisher:
- Contaminated -- A red light indicating the presence of contamination
- Ready -- A green light indicating that the PM12 is ready to use and is measuring background radiation
- Count -- A yellow light indicating that the portal is monitoring a user for contamination
- Re-count -- A white light indicating that the user left the monitoring position before the count interval was complete
- Out of service -- A blue light indicating that the personnel monitor is undertaking internal checks or has a failed component
In addition to these indicators, a silhouette (below) located on the right-hand side of the portal frame indicates when any of the detector zones is considered to be contaminated. Also included are built-in voice prompts, in a range of user-selectable languages, that can help a user get in position to be scanned.
The PM12 uses a silhouette to indicate contaminated areas
An optional LCD display provides additional instructions to users, and can be used to calibrate the system, display monitoring results, and retrieve data, which are logged to an internal SQL database. The PM12 may also be calibrated via a laptop computer connected via the portal's Ethernet port, the company says.
Via Ethernet, stored data are said to be accessible remotely via Thermo Scientific's ViewPoint remote monitoring software. The PM12 also allows data to be downloaded to a computer via USB.
Finally, the device optionally includes a video camera, barcode reader, and an interface for EPDs (electronic personal dosimeters).
Further informationThermo Fisher did not provide pricing or further details of the PM12's embedded PC. Further information may be available from the company's website,
here.
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