Development of a compact, cost-effective continuous air monitor

Morishita, Yuki   ; Kanno, Marina*; Abe, Tomohisa ; Sasaki, Miyuki  ; Terasaka, Yuta   ; Yamada, Tsutomu*; Nakasone, Takamasa*

This study presents the development of a low-cost, compact continuous air monitor (CAM) capable of measuring both alpha and beta radiation in high gamma-ray dose environments. Traditional CAMs are expensive and become unusable after contamination, posing challenges for decommissioning sites. This new CAM utilizes an inexpensive plastic scintillator detector coupled with a photomultiplier tube, allowing for energy spectrum measurement and particle discrimination. The detector can be easily replaced when contaminated, significantly reducing operational costs. The developed CAM was integrated with an existing cordless dust sampler (CDS), enabling portable and continuous monitoring. Performance testing demonstrated the ability to accurately measure both alpha and beta radiation, as evidenced by energy spectra analysis. Continuous monitoring in a high radon concentration environment successfully captured time-series variations of alpha particles from radon progeny. This low-cost and portable CAM offers a valuable tool for contamination monitoring in various contaminated sites.