Industry Updates

Excerpt

A handheld radiation camera developed by University of Michigan engineering researchers offers nuclear plant operators a faster way to find potentially dangerous hot spots and leaky fuel rods. The Polaris-H detector lays a gamma-ray map over an image of a room, pinpointing and identifying radiation sources with unprecedented precision. At least five U.S. nuclear power plants are using versions of the camera, which is now available commercially through the U-M spinoff company H3D. “This technology enables people to ‘see’ radiation,” said Zhong He, a professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences at U-M and Chairman of H3D. “This should enable the early detection of leaks by locating abnormal radiation, a much better understanding of radiation sources to protect workers, and it could be a tool for the cleanup effort of nuclear waste and fallout, such as in Fukushima in Japan.” Radiation safety professionals have called the device revolutionary and say it could become the new standard. …