Table of Contents
How much does a scintillator cost?
The estimated price for extruded scintillator ranges from $ 3.5/kg to $ 7/kg. About 50% of the cost is due to the raw materials and the remaining 50% is due to processing.
What is NaI scintillator?
A NaI(Tl) scintillation counter is a radiation detector which uses the effect known as scintillation. Scintillation, which occurs in the NaI(Tl) crystal, is a flash of light produced in a transparent material by the passage of a particle (an electron, an alpha particle, an ion, or a high-energy photon).
What is scintillator used for?
Scintillators are materials that are able to convert high energy radiation such as X or gamma-rays to a near visible or visible light. They are widely used as detectors in medical diagnostics, high energy physics and geophysical exploration (ref. Knoll).
How does a NaI scintillator work?
NaI(Tl) detectors The thallium-activated sodium iodide detector, or NaI(Tl) detector, responds to the gamma ray by producing a small flash of light, or a scintillation. The scintillation occurs when scintillator electrons, excited by the energy of the photon, return to their ground state.
What are the properties needed to have a good scintillator?
There are many desired properties of scintillators, such as high density, fast operation speed, low cost, radiation hardness, production capability and durability of operational parameters. High density reduces the material size of showers for high-energy γ-quanta and electrons.
What machine detects gamma rays?
Gamma-ray detectors can be placed in two broad classes: spectrometers and imagers. The first class would typically be called spectrometers or photometers in optical astronomy.
How do you make sodium iodide?
Preparation: Sodium iodide is produced industrially by the reaction between sodium hydroxide and iodine or hydroiodic acid. It is also prepared by treating sodium carbonate with hydroiodic acid solution.
What are the main advantages of NaI scintillation detector over the proportional counter?
The NaI(Tl) scintillator has a higher energy resolution than a proportional counter, allowing for more accurate energy determinations. On the other hand, if a perfect energy resolution is required, we have to use germanium-based detector, such as the HPGe detector.
Where can I find thallium?
Thallium is found in several ores. One of these is pyrites, which is used to produce sulfuric acid. Some thallium is obtained from pyrites, but it is mainly obtained as a by-product of copper, zinc and lead refining. Thallium is also present in manganese nodules found on the ocean floor.
What do doctors use gamma radiation to destroy?
What is radiation therapy? Radiation therapy uses high-energy particles or waves, such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, or protons, to destroy or damage cancer cells. Your cells normally grow and divide to form new cells. But cancer cells grow and divide faster than most normal cells.