Multipurpose environment activity radiometer

RKG-14 VIRTUOSO

VIRTUOSO is a compact-size device for a comprehensive radiological examination of the environment, food, soil, construction materials, mineral raw materials, housing, etc.

Thanks to the use of brand-new technology, you can now control cesium radioisotopes and naturally occurring radioactive materials not only in specialized laboratories but at home without the help of professional radiologists.

VIRTUOSO performs measurement by simply putting it to the object, or even by holding the instrument in your hands in a certain place that you want to check for contamination. Thus, the item and its packaging remain undamaged.

To obtain information about our products during the preparation of tender or contractual documentation, please contact our representatives via the provided contacts. We continuously improve our products and expand their functionality in line with market needs by applying the latest technologies, modern components, and materials. Therefore, specifications, descriptions, and configurations are subject to change without prior notice.

Features

Portable, practical
Quickly checks radiation purity of soil, construction materials, mineral raw materials, wood, housing, vehicles, and such food as baby food, water, milk, meat, fish, eggs, fresh vegetables, fruit, grain, cereals, dried foods, dried herbs (tea)
Requires no special training of the user, operates in the interactive mode
Does not require sampling – measurement is done by putting the device to the tested object (material, product, soil, etc.), or by holding it over the studied surfaces
Requires no special preparation of the food sample (the product remains inside its packaging)
Requires no special protection
Ingress protection rating IP54
Detects ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs and measures the specific and volume activities of ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th
Works with Android smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth

Purpose of Use

Detection of ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs cesium radioisotopes (hereinafter – radiocesium) in food and objects of the environment
Evaluation of the detected radiocesium content in the quantities of specific, volume, and surface activity
Control of the level of background radiation in the environment, including assessment of radiocesium radiation level as the value of ambient dose equivalent rate purely from radiocesium as the part of natural background
Measurement of specific and volume activities of naturally occurring radioactive materials ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th (hereinafter NORM) in the objects of the environment
Track recording with measuring points referenced to geographical coordinates

Virtuoso application provides

information about the status of the detector, dosimetric and spectrometric data which is transferred via Bluetooth from Virtuoso detecting unit to a smartphone or a tablet (Android-based)
display of gamma radiation dose rate and amplitude gamma spectrum in a graphical view
detection of cesium isotopes in food, soil, and wood, evaluation of their specific/volume and surface activities, evaluation of dose rate from cesium
detection of naturally occurring radioactive materials (⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th), evaluation of their specific/volume activities
individually setup track recording with measuring points referenced to geographical coordinates
possibility to view tracks on the smartphone/tablet or on the PC (after exporting into .KMZ file) via Google Earth or Google Maps applications
possibility to check the measurement quality of the device using standard metrological samples in Marinelli vessels
both beginners (simplified display of measurement progress in the “Found-Not found” mode) and experts (display of activity spectrum and trends) can operate the device
reports about measurement with the possibility to add geographical coordinates to them and their transfer to the PC via USB connection, Bluetooth, email, etc.
automatic adjustment of the detector’s spectrometric parameters at each measurement, device calibration in a separate mode
making and receiving calls, sending and receiving messages, starting and using other applications, etc., without interrupting the process of measurement and loss of data

Virtuoso advantages compared to FoodTester-G

A new technology of scintillation detector has been applied using a semiconductor photomultiplier, which provided for:
- High temperature stability
- No microphone effect
2.5 times bigger volume and sensitivity of the detector, which provided for:
- Significantly reduced measurement time
- High repeatability of measurement results
New functional capabilities:
- Determination of activity of naturally occurring radioactive materials
- Evaluation of the dose rate component of cesium radionuclides in the background radiation
Improved processing algorithms of gamma amplitude spectra
Built-in lithium-ion battery of standard size AA which, in contrast to the previously applied NiMH battery, allows recharging at any time

Advantages of the new method of radiation monitoring compared to the traditional one

Traditional methods and devices of monitoring of environmental contamination by radiocesium require expensive equipment, troublesome and time-consuming operations, such as:
- Samples should be taken from the studied material of 0.5 l or 1,0 l, which is not always possible (destroys the integrity of the tested object)
- Sample material should be crushed to be placed in an inconveniently-shaped vessel of 0.5 or 1,0 l (inconvenient, messy and sometimes just impossible)
- Selected samples should be brought to the laboratory, where the spectrometer-radiometer operated by a specially trained operator is located
- A vessel with sample should be placed in a lead shielding for measurement
- Before placing the vessel with sample for measurement, it is necessary to measure the background radiation level without it (long measurement time required – from tens of minutes to several hours)
- Measurement of the very sample placed in a lead shielding is also rather time-consuming (from tens of minutes and longer)
- Despite all these troubles, you are not safe from blunders in case the sample have been taken from a wrong place (when contamination is uneven)
Creating a new concept of radiation control, we have simplified the process of measurement with no loss of measurement quality, but on the contrary, we have improved and expanded measurement capabilities of the device
VIRTUOSO performs the same task on activity measurement with the following advantages:
- Everything is measured without sampling, i.e. by simply putting the device to the tested object (material, product, soil, etc.) or by holding it over the studied surfaces
- The studied object does not require advance preparation, no need to waste and destroy materials or packaging
- The study is done immediately on-site, no need to take samples to laboratories
- A professional radiologist and an inexperienced user can both be a measurement operator
- No need in any bulky lead shielding in the process of measurement
- No need to waste time measuring background at all, this task is solved in a fundamentally different way
- Measurement time has been minimized, the approximate result becomes available in 5 seconds, and then measurement continues to obtain more accurate values
- Not a small material sample taken from a random place is being examined, but quite a large area at once, which increases the monitoring quality and reduces the risk of overlooking local contamination

Delivery Kit

multipurpose environment activity radiometer
leather case
charger
transport case
passport
operating manual
package
additional waterproof case (at extra cost)
android smartphone or tablet (at extra cost)

Virtuoso application is available for free download (android)

Measurement range of specific activity of radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs in the objects of the environment in geometries “2π”, “4π”

50 … 200 000 Bq/kg

Main relative permissible error limits of measurement of specific activity of radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs in the objects of the environment in geometries “2π”, “4π”, Р=0.95

±35 %

Estimation range of surface activity of radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs in the objects of the environment

500 … 1 000 000 Bq/m²

Measurement range of the effective specific activity of naturally occurring radionuclides ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K in the objects of the environment in geometries “2π”, “4π”

200 … 20 000 Bq/kg

Main relative permissible error limits of measurement of the effective specific activity of naturally occurring radionuclides ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K in the objects of the environment in geometries “2π”, “4π”, Р=0.95

±35 %

Measurement range of gamma radiation DER from ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs

0.001 … 10 μSv/h

Main relative permissible error limits of gamma radiation DER measurement from ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, given Р=0.95

±20 %

Unstable readings of the radiometer during 8 hours of operation, not more

5 %

Measurement range of gamma radiation DER H*(10)

0.01 … 50 μSv/h

Main relative permissible error limits of gamma radiation DER measurement, given P=0.95

(15+1/H*(10)) %, where H*(10) is a numeric value of gamma radiation DER, μSv/h

Sensitivity to gamma radiation for ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, not less

500 (pulse/s) /(μSv/h)

Energy range of registered gamma radiation

0.05 … 3 MeV

Energy dependence of readings for energies 59 keV (²⁴¹Аm), 1.3 MeV (⁶⁰Со) and 0.66 MeV (¹³⁷Cs)

30 %

Dependence of sensitivity from the angle of recorded radiation incidence (anisotropy), does not exceed

30 %

Number of amplitude gamma spectrum channels

1 024

Setup time of operating mode of the device, not more

1 min

Time of continuous operation with fully charged storage lithium-ion battery of AA type (LIR14500) at gamma background (not more than 0.5 μSv/h), not less

24 hours

Operating temperature range

-20 … +50 °С

Dimensions of the detecting device, not more

114 × 36 × 83 mm

Weight of the detecting device without case (with the installed battery)

0.352 kg

Operating Manual