Why remote alpha detection is difficult
Alpha particles are strongly ionising but have very short range in air. Conventional alpha contamination monitors therefore usually need to be brought close to the surface and moved point by point across the area. That can be slow, labour intensive, and difficult in confined or contaminated environments.
For large surfaces, gloveboxes, ducts, waste containers, or areas where access is restricted, the challenge is not only detecting alpha activity. Users also need to know where the contamination is, how intense it is, and how to record the result in a form that can support decisions.
How an alpha camera images contamination
When alpha particles pass through air, they can generate weak ultraviolet light. The VisionAlpha camera is built to collect this alpha-induced signal from a distance, separate it from background light, and overlay the alpha distribution onto a visible image of the scene.
The system combines an ultra-sensitive CCD, switchable high-blocking UV filters, a co-aligned depth camera, and software for capture, localisation, activity estimation, and reporting. The result is an imaging workflow rather than a single-point measurement workflow.
Detection at distance
Designed for metre-scale alpha detection where close scanning is slow, risky, or impractical.
Spatial localisation
Shows where the alpha signal is located by overlaying the contamination map onto visible context.
Quantification and records
Uses image and depth information to support activity estimation and automatic local reporting.
Where a long-range alpha detector can help
- Clean-up of contaminated laboratories and facilities.
- Nuclear decommissioning surveys where access time should be reduced.
- Monitoring alpha contamination inside gloveboxes for fuel processing.
- Nuclear waste management and inspection of complex items.
- Nuclear forensics and uranium enrichment assessment based on surface alpha activity.
- Robotic or drone-mounted scanning for larger areas and difficult viewpoints.
Current demonstrated performance
VisionAlpha has demonstrated uranium surface alpha detection around 500 Bq/cm2 at 1 meter in 1 hour indoors. Outdoor sunlight operation has also been demonstrated using a solar-blind UV channel, with a 3 MBq Am-241 source detected at 70 cm in 10 minutes.
The next generation system is targeting improved sensitivity, autofocus operation across a wider distance range, enhanced shielding for gamma background environments, and integration with robotic scanning platforms.
Next step
Planning an alpha contamination survey or pilot trial?
See the product workflow, review the test data, or contact VisionAlpha to discuss a pilot application. VisionAlpha can contribute towards development and trial costs for suitable projects.