Thermo Fisher Scientific granted two U.S. patents for radiation detection instruments

Oakwood Village, Ohio-based Thermo Fisher Scientific announced that its Radiation Measurement & Security Instruments business has been awarded two U.S. patents for radiation instruments that can help protect the public against the risk of nuclear terrorism.

U.S. patent 7,456,405 B1 was granted for the radiation-measuring Thermo Scientific RadEye PRD, a small, portable, high-sensitivity, pager-like device. The company says that unlike conventional radiation pagers, the patented method incorporated in the RadEye PRD allows the setting of alarm levels below the typical range of natural background radiation. “This is extremely important when trying to detect and interdict radiation sources that, for example, a terrorist would attempt to hide or shield at a border crossing or during a customs search,” said Mark Deacon, market development manager for security instruments. “Using the RadEye PRD, hidden and shielded radioactive material that emits gamma radiation is detected by the associated distortion of the natural background energy distribution.” Since its market introduction in 2005, tens of thousands of RadEye PRD units have been deployed worldwide to support the efforts of homeland security forces.

U.S. patent 7,544,927 B1 was granted for the Thermo Scientific Lutetium-Oxide test adapter for beta and gamma sensitive radiation detectors. Based on specially shaped packaging of high-density Lutetium-Oxide ceramics, the patented test adapter addresses the disadvantages of some conventional radiation check sources. Each of these test-adapters possesses the same totally reproducible specific emission rates and homogeneity, providing the ability to perform quick and easy daily performance and calibration checks of radiation detection instruments in the field.

The adapter is available in a design optimized for use with the Thermo Scientific RadEye product line, as well as in a disk form for use with most other radiation detection instruments.

“With the Thermo Scientific test adapter, now quick, easy and daily performance and calibration checks of radiation detection instruments can be carried out with confidence, especially in the field where this capability is most required. This ensures that our radiation instruments are working properly at key checkpoints,” said Michael Iwatschenko, global portables product line manager. “The benefit for customers is that one test adapter is a perfect clone of the others. This simplifies calibration, meaning that an instrument reading in Los Angeles will be the same as a reading in Pittsburgh. Additionally, because Lu-176 has a half life of 37 billion years, customers avoid the need to perform half life corrections or continually replace decayed sources.”