星空传媒

Radiation Science Lab

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department, Emirate Nuclear Technology Center

Principal advisor: Dr. Francois Foulon (francois.foulon@ku.ac.ae)

The Radiation Science Laboratory plays a crucial role in analyzing and measuring nuclear radiations and radioactive materials over a wide range of applications and across various fields, such as environmental monitoring, safety, industrial and medical applications, and research.

The facility features four main types of detectors: Geiger-Muller counters, Scintillator detectors, High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors, and Alpha detectors. Each type of instrument serves specific functions in spectroscopy measurements, enabling comprehensive analysis of radiation types and energies.

• • Geiger-Muller Counters are versatile devices that detect alpha, beta, and gamma radiation by ionizing gas within a tube, producing electrical pulses that indicate radiation levels. They are fundamental for real-time monitoring and safety assessments.
  • Scintillator Detectors based on scintillating materials and light conversion into an electrical signal, allowing for effective gamma-ray spectroscopy with large volume detectors, making them ideal for a wide range of applications, including environmental monitoring.
  • High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) Detectors, operating at cryogenic temperatures, provide high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy capabilities to accurately identify isotopes based on energy spectra, making them invaluable for environment sample characterization, nuclear physics research, and radioactive waste management.
  • Alpha Detectors paired with other instruments are utilized for alpha spectroscopy, essential for environmental assessments and for the monitoring alpha-emitting isotopes like radon.

The combination of these detectors in the Radiation Science Laboratory enables comprehensive analysis and monitoring of radioactive materials.

Current research activities are focusing on the measurement of Concentration Ratios (CRs) in environmental samples, comparing activity levels of different radionuclides present in soil samples, and Transfer Factors (TFs), representing the ratio of radionuclide activity transferred from soil to plant. Such measurements are essential for assessing the potential uptake of natural radionuclides, such as uranium-238 (238U), thorium-232 (232Th), and potassium-40 (40K), and anthropogenic radionuclides, by crops.聽

This research advances the knowledge of UAE radioecology to understand聽how radioactive substances, both natural and man-made, interact with the environment and impact living organisms, the food chain, and the population. This provides the ground to calculate incidental exposure scenarios, estimate doses and their consequences, and eventually develop radiological mitigation and emergency management plans to protect the population.

GM Counter setup

NaI (Tl) setup

Alpha Spectroscopy

Silicon detector

HPGe with LN2 Dewar