The most advanced, transportable and user-friendly Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC) on the market
Advanced
The Hidex 300 SL liquid scintillation counter is a revolutionary instrument which incorporates the most advanced technology available, triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) counting. TDCR utilizes a unique design with three photomultiplier detectors aligned 120 degrees from each other, which offers superior efficiency and counting results for both advanced research and environmental work.
Transportable
The 300 SL has a modern and compact design measuring half the size and weight of some of its long standing rivals. It is therefore much easier to fit it into smaller, more space conscious laboratories, such as transporting in research vessels or mobile labs.
Hidex’s MikroWin software version 5.62 is fully compatible with Windows 11
Hidex is the only manufacturer of liquid scintillation counters whose software is fully compatible with Windows 11, Microsoft’s latest major release. Hidex’s MikroWin version 5.62 can be run on any external desktop, whereas other manufacturers use internal computers that are integrated into the liquid scintillation counter itself.
This can present problems if there is a fault with the internal computer, as it prevents the user from operating the instrument as well. Being able to use an external desktop to manage your instruments allows MikroWin software to be easily updated with new releases and is compatible with Microsoft’s latest security features introduced in Windows 11.
NEW: Chevron has successfully developed new radiocarbon analysis methods based on TDCR liquid scintillation counting, click here to read more.
Super Low-Level Liquid Scintillation Counter
Similar to the standard instrument the Hidex 300 SL super low-level liquid scintillation counter is equipped with additional lead shielding, low-level PMT detectors, and an active guard detector for further background reduction.
Ideal for 3H in water measurements, other low-level environmental monitoring, radiocarbon dating and biofuel verification.
New Active Guard The Active Guard is a separate scintillator detector which measures and subtracts real-time background radiation. The guard can be turned off for high energy samples and does not interfere with alpha/beta separation.
The 300 SL liquid scintillation counter utilizes a unique design with three photomultiplier detectors which are aligned 120 degrees from each other to offer superior efficiency and counting results for both advanced research and environmental work.
In addition, the 300 SL can be used in triple coincidence mode only, which removes interference from chemiluminescence and the need to dark adapt. The liquid scintillation counter can also be operated in dual coincidence mode using conventional standards and quench correction methods.
Quench curves can be generated and stored within the MikroWin software, which can be automatically applied or manually fitted to recalculate previous data.
Detector Design
Optimal Lead ShieldDesign A minimum of 70 mm lead in all directions provides excellent shielding and minimizes the weight of the liquid scintillation counter.
Lead Shutter Reduces cosmic radiation.
Copper Shielding Eliminates X-rays from lead shield.
Robotic Loading Arm Removes the need for a complex elevator mechanism, preventing jams, and is easily serviceable.
PMTs Three PMTs detectors in coincidence mode provide optimal counting geometry and facilitate TDCR calculations on the liquid scintillation counter.
No internal or external standard source
The TDCR method allows easy determination of sample counting efficiency without the use of any internal or external standard source of radioactivity, offering many benefits for the modern lab including no hidden disposal costs, no health hazard when servicing, and no transportation restrictions.
Easy to use liquid scintillation analyzer software
The 300 SL liquid scintillation counter uses an external PC which is Windows 7, 8 and 10 compatible, enabling several users to transfer their method and data files to other offline or networked PC’s.
The MikroWin 300 SL software features an easy-to-use graphical interface and advanced data reduction capabilities. An unlimited number of protocols, easy export to Excel™, custom calculations and quench curves are all included. MikroWin also has options for 21 CFR Part 11 compliance for secure handling of method and data files.
Do I need a dedicated cart/table?
No, the 300SL is a benchtop instrument. A table can be purchased if desired.
Is the 300SL liquid scintillation counter portable?
Since it does not contain an internal radiation source there are no regulatory restrictions in transporting it.
Due to its small size the 300SL can easily be transported between labs and also placed in mobile labs/vans and research vessels (r/v).
How do I collect and analyze my data?
The 300SL liquid scintillation counter is capable of several calculations to allow you to process your data, which can then all be exported automatically to excel or to a text file compatible to your current LIMS system.
Is the liquid scintillation counter networkable?
Since you use an external PC it can be networked. The instrument can generate an Excel file and send it to the network automatically.
When do I need the internal radiation source?
The internal source is only needed if you are measuring dual-labeled samples with variable quench.
Do I need the Temperature Control module?
Temperature control is only recommended if you are using long count times and do not have a stable air conditioned laboratory.
What is the capacity of the 300SL?
The 300SL can take up to 96 x 7ml vials or 40 x20ml vials per tray and takes one tray at a time. Using the organizer feature it is possible to run several assays on the same tray and have the results exported separately.
Existing Hidex 300 SL users
Click the tabs below to learn more about our customers and their applications for the Hidex 300 SL.
Radsol, South Korea
Radiochemical analysis of environmental and nuclear decommissioning samples
Radsol CEO Dr. Jung-Suk Oh's laboratory houses three Hidex 300 SL liquid scintillation counters.
The Hidex 300 SL is being used by Radsol for the radiochemical analysis of environmental and nuclear decommissioning samples in South Korea. The country is the world’s fifth biggest generator of nuclear energy with a total of 26 reactors providing 26 GWe of electricity, approximately a third of all electricity produced. Two reactors – Kori 1 and Wolsong 1 – have been shut down and are currently in the process of being decommissioned.
Radsol specialises in the measurement and analysis of radioisotopes, providing the Korean Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) with a range of radioanalytical services including measuring 3H in seawater, bioassays for radiation workers, and nuclear waste characterisation. The company has three 300 SLs to achieve a high throughput of work.
The ARIEL team at the University of Surrey with Dr. Al Sid Cheikh (second from right) with Product Specialist Luke Brammer (far right).
Hidex instruments are being used by the University of Surrey’s Applied-RadioIsotope and Environmental Laboratory (ARIEL) to research and understand the fate and behaviour of contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs). CECs are pollutants such as domestic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural runoff detected in bodies of water.
Lead by Dr. Maya Al Sid Cheikh, the research is specifically concerned with nanoplastics, which are ubiquitous in domestic products and discharged in large quantities from industrial processes and can have devastating impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, and food chains. Maya and her team at ARIEL are trying to trace these from origin through to dispersion in the environment and living organizms to understand how long they persist by 14C radiolabeling.
You can find out more about ARIEL's research by clicking the button below.
The Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering. The Mines Radiochemistry Lab uses radioactive elements to solve complex problems in nuclear energy, the separation and purification of metals, the disposal of nuclear waste, and the environment.
The school’s lab is also one of only two university labs in the world that experiments with rare and highly radioactive heavy actinide elements such as Berkelium, Einsteinium, and Fermium. Research Assistant Professor Jessica Jackson has been using the Hidex 300 SL for a range of radiometric analysis experiments using alpha-beta discrimination. The LSC’s unique topographical 3D separation was a key reason why the school procured the Hidex over another model.
Advanced tritium analysis at nuclear power stations
Three Hidex 300 SL liquid scintillation counters have been installed at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar nuclear power plant where it is used by the Chemistry Department to count tritium in various plant samples, including gaseous and liquid effluents. The NPP generates enough electricity for 1,200,000 homes.
We spoke to Radiological Chemist Brooke Underwood. Click the button below to find out what she had to say.
A Hidex 300 SL with alpha/beta separation has been installed at the University of the West of England to monitor compliance with radiation permits and support environmental research. Alison Halliday is a Radiation Protection Supervisor and Research Technician who has responsibility for more than twenty laboratories across the School of Applied Sciences.
You can find out what Alison had to say about the 300 SL by clicking the button below.
HIVIZ, a gun sights manufacturer, purchased a Hidex 300 SL for testing products as the gun sights include tritium radioluminescence. Read more here.
Veteran Affair Medical Centers (VAMC), USA
VAMCs across the USA have chosen the full Hidex range for their research instruments of choice in their laboratories. Read more here
Boston University, USA
An obesity research group at Boston University recently published a paper citing the Hidex 300 SL, using the instrument to measure β particle emissions, therefore calculating fatty acid oxidation of fibroblast cells from subjects both with and without type 1 diabetes. Read the full research paper here.
Northeastern University, USA
A paper has been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry by the Mattos Lab in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology citing the Hidex 300 SL. Read the full paper here.
University of Cambridge, UK
A physiology research group at the University of Cambridge have published a paper citing the Hidex 300 SL, with the paper detailing the effects of a high sugar and fat diets on the metabolism of the mother and foetus in pregnant mice. Click here to read the full paper.
LabLogic's advanced software solutions enable users to handle the full lifecycle of a radiolabelled metabolism study in FDA/GLP-regulated environments…
The University of Surrey has been researching the fate of contaminants of emerging concerns to understand the effects of nanoplastics in the environment…