FREE AND

The FREE-AND 16 spectrometric station is a robust and handy system designed to perform spectrometric analysis of waste materials, where the fine spectroscopy provided by HPGe-based systems is not needed.

The FREE-AND 16 main components are:

• 16 NaI(Tl) 3”x3” scintillator detectors coupled to MCAs
• Lead shielding for each detector, which also defines the scintillator field of view (collimation)
• Mechanical support structure for detectors and weighting platform
• Control PC with user-friendly software interface

The detectors are distributed in two arrays of 4 units mounted on each side of the stainless steel support structure. The detectors’ Field Of View (FOW) is defined by dedicated lead collimators, which act also as background shielding elements; therefore, each detector analyses a specific subsection of the sample, allowing identification of inhomogeneities and hot-spots.

The system can achieve an MDA of 0.04 Bq/g (15 minutes measurement, 300 kg of material, 1 g/cm³ density).

The mechanical structure is designed to well resist to the weight of the equipment and to accidental bumps.

The maximum payload of the weighting platform is 6000 kg.

Containers of different type and dimensions can be placed on the platform, up to 100 x 100 x 200 cm (WxHxD).

The operator interacts with FREE-AND 16 through a sophisticated yet easy-to-use software. To perform the measurement, the operator selects the proper geometry from a previously defined database, then sets the measurement time; the procedure automatically starts when the container is placed upon the weighting platform. Measurement reports are provided at the end of each scan.

Thanks to the geometry and the configuration of the spectrometric station, FREE-AND 16 can be used for many applications, and it can be adjusted to the requirements as for dimensions and detectors number.