The IDM-200-P Advantage
The modular design and the unmatched energy resolution of HPGe detectors offers integrators significant advantages over technologies which yield inferior resolution. The IDM-200-P delivers this performance in a unique, reliable and convenient package.
Integrated Solution The IDM-200-P is easily adaptable to other screening technologies such as NII X-Ray, EDS, and Radiation Portal monitors.
COTS Ready The IDM-200-P is designed as a commercial off-the-shelf solution that lowers cost, is more flexible for many applications, and shortens the design-to-market cycles.
Close Proximity to X-Ray Machines Field tests have proven that the effects of scattered x-rays on the background of the IDM-200-P HPGe detector has minimal to no effect on the capability of identifying radionuclides.
Detector Energy Resolution Germanium detectors represent the best resolution available in any commercial gamma-ray detector. High resolution is always of benefit in a wide variety of applications, leading to improved sensitivity and more accurate identification of radionuclides at all energies.
Detector Sensitivity for SNM The IDM-200-P provides the best sensitivity for Special Nuclear Material (SNM) detection and identification. Because of the extremely high signal-to-noise ratio, very high detection confidence can be achieved with very few signal counts, thus making the system extremely sensitive in comparison with medium and low resolution systems.
Identification Capabilities In combination with the advanced identification algorithms optionally available in the ORTEC Detective series software, an IDM-200-P solution can provide unambiguous threat identification of standard packages and cargo. The system is able to detect and identify small gamma-ray peaks with precision. High resolution also means that other spectral artifacts are more easily seen, and these can be used by the advanced ORTEC software algorithms in confirming the presence (or not) of specific nuclides.
The Technology Behind the ORTEC IDM-200-P
ORTEC has successfully developed, tested, and deployed products for critical security applications requiring detection and identification of radiation and nuclear threats.
ORTEC pioneering advances in HPGe technology have greatly extended the range of security applications where HPGe can now be deployed.
With a strong history of manufacturing equipment to meet the demanding requirements of detecting and identifying special nuclear material, the ORTEC line of
Detective and IDM products have become the global benchmark in verification of the presence of special nuclear materials, both legal and illicit.
HPGe represents an advanced radiation sensor technology which can detect, identify and analyze phenomena, normally missed by other nuclear detection systems. HPGe detection systems are largely unaffected by radiation background variations, masking, or environmental temperature changes. They are less susceptible to electrical interference than other systems and are capable of detecting sources through thicker shielding than other passive systems.
Applications Software
ORTEC has an extensive portfolio of software specifically designed to meet the needs of homeland security applications. The correct software is a key element of a good nuclear security measurement system. It is often the application software which turns the “hardware into the solution.” ORTEC has software covering a broad spectrum of nuclear measurement applications, often providing integrated hardware control, display and analysis in a single package.
• Connections Programmer’s Toolkit with ActiveX controls
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MAESTRO MCA Emulation Software
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Detective-Remote Instrument Remote Monitoring and Control Software
Mechanical
To support OEMs, ORTEC is leveraging the experience of the Detective portable instrumentation manufacturing to build new detector modules and integrated solutions that are designed and built to perform in the toughest environments.
The IDM-200-P has been designed specifically for use in HPGe portal monitors and other similar systems for nuclear materials interdiction. These hardware subsystems are designed for use in demanding applications. All the components are derived from ORTEC technology, proven in the field by hundreds of Detective portable identifiers.
The IDM-200-P is a compact detection instrument subsystem. The IDM-200-P can be mounted conveniently on a shelf within a cabinet. Multiple IDM-200-P subsystems can be positioned in a vertical stack for portal applications. The IDM-200-P is narrow enough to fit in a standard 19” rack. The integral handles assist in installation and in portable applications.
The low power consumption of the IDM-200-P reduces heat dissipation requirements. An IDM-200-P consumes <100 watts of power when cooled to operating temperature. Low power consumption means systems configured using the IDM-200-P do not need high levels of cabinet air conditioning.
The HPGe detector is shielded on the back of the cryostat. Other shielding can be easily placed on the sides of the detector endcap to limit the horizontal field of view. The vertical field of view can also be defined by shielding. (By designing shielding/collimation as free standing, it is possible to greatly simplify serviceability and interchangeability.)
Germanium Detector
The majority of the gamma-ray emissions from special nuclear material (SNM) are below 1 MeV. Extensive modeling has shown that a detector size of 85 mm diameter by 30 mm deep is an excellent geometry for detecting these gamma rays. The HPGe crystal geometry is nominally the same in all IDM-200-P subsystems.
ORTEC leads the field in the development and deployment of mechanically cooled HPGe detector technology, introducing the first mechanically cooled HPGe detector more than 20 years ago. There are more HPGe spectrometers in the field world-wide cooled by ORTEC supplied mechanical cooling systems than all other commercial and non-commercial systems combined. In particular, and most recently, ORTEC Detective HPGe Portable Hand Held Identifiers are operating in the field by the hundreds and the Stirling cycle cooler technology used by the Detective, and now the IDM-200-P, is proven by experience.
The IDM-200-P cryostat design evolved from the Detective Hand Held Identifier, itself a non-traditional design, which does not use molecular sieve as a cryo-pump, but does use all-metal seals and very clean construction methods. The all-metal construction results in a robust long-life cryostat which can be temperature cycled, either completely or partially, indefinitely. The cooler can be turned off then on at any time, greatly aiding service operations.
DSP Electronics
The digital signal processing (DSP) electronics subsystem used in the IDM-200-P is derived from the ORTEC Detective family systems. The low power design has extreme high stability with both count rate and temperature variation, important in many different applications.
Field operation of any instrument is different than laboratory operation. One common feature of field operation that can lead to reduced system performance is mechanical vibration or acoustical noise. The normally very good energy resolution of HPGe detectors can be degraded by mechanical vibration or microphonic noise. ORTEC’s LFR1 technology solves the vibration problem common in aerial survey and portal monitoring systems. Another source of low frequency electrical noise is electrical ground loops — common in field systems. The LFR filter feature reduces the effects of all such noise sources.
The data can be collected in a histogram mode (the traditional mode for Pulse Height Analysis) and transferred to a PC for further analysis. There is a small dead time when the data are being transferred that new data are not collected. List mode data collection is essential in situations where no data can be missed. List mode has been used with great success in many real-world situations. For example, when the sample is moving relative to the detector and it is important to measure an activity profile as a function of time or position. Another application is aerial and land-based surveying. No "dead periods" occur in the data collection. When moving at 50 kph, a 100 millisecond gap in data collection means a gap of nearly 1.5 meters in the data collection profile. In the list mode of operation, data are stored directly to memory, event by event, with a time stamp (200 nanoseconds). This wealth of data can then be reconstructed into separate spectra by time, energy, or position within a portal. This feature of the IDM-200-P greatly enhances the detection sensitivity of the system in all applications.
Communications
High speed plug-and-play USB 2.0 communications makes subsystem control and data collection fast and easy.
Service
The replacement of an IDM-200-P is particularly fast and straightforward. Only two connections are required, power (A/C or DC) and USB.