Hidex 300 SL

Liquid Scintillation Counter

Similar to the standard 300 SL, Super Low-Level scintillation counter is equipped with additional lead shielding, low-level PMT detectors, and an active guard detector for further background reduction.

Ideal for H-3 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 turn off for high energy samples and does not interfere with alpha/beta separation.

The 300 SL utilises 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.

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 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.

An optimal Lead Shield design features a minimum of 70 mm lead in all directions to provide excellent shielding and minimises instrument weight. A Lead Shutter reduces cosmic radiation and Copper Shielding eliminates X-rays from lead shield. Highly reflective proprietary paint around the Measurement Chamber maximises photon detection. Robotic Loading Arm removes the need for a complex elevator mechanism, preventing jams, and is easily serviceable. Three PMT Detectors in coincidence mode provide optimal counting geometry and facilitate TDCR calculations.

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.

• Temperature Control Module
• Alpha/Beta Separation Module
• Low-Level PMT Detectors
• Digital Lead Shield
• External EU-152 Standard

No, the 300SL is a benchtop instrument. A table can be purchased if desired.

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).

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.

Since you use an external PC it can be networked. The instrument can generate an Excel file and send it to the network automatically.

The internal source is only needed if you are measuring dual-labeled samples with variable quench.

Temperature control is only recommended if you are using long count times and do not have a stable air conditioned laboratory. 

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 organiser feature it is possible to run several assays on the same tray and have the results exported separately.

Can you remove vacuum distillation from tritium sample preparation?

Vacuum distillation is a critical step in the preparation of tritium samples for liquid scintillation counting. It is used to purify and isolate enriched tritium water of potential contaminants such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to produce a clean, distilled sample before analysis.

NaOH, used during electrolytic tritium enrichment, can interfere with scintillation counting by increasing chemiluminescence and quenching, both of which reduce measurement accuracy. Vacuum distillation ensures that only clean water with enriched tritium reaches the LSC, enabling precise and reliable measurements.

In a study by MS Student Blaine Gustafson at Idaho State University, the Hidex 300 SL was used to determine if the process of vacuum distillation could be removed from the tritium sample preparation process without compromising measurement accuracy. The study evaluated the 300 SL’s Triple to Double Coincidence Ratio (TDCR) to determine if it provided more reliable results in the presence of chemiluminescence than a traditional LS counter.

Click the button below to find out the results of Blaine's study and the 300 SL's improved chemiluminescence handling.

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Counting radon in water

As a mountainous state with large granite batholiths, Montana has relatively high levels of radon. As the radon dissolves into groundwater, it can contaminate wells in rural areas where mains water may not be accessible. While radon in water – ²²²Rn-H₂O – is generally less concerning than radon gas indoors, it can still contribute to overall exposure when it is released into the air during washing and cooking.

The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG) serves as the state’s geological survey. Based at Montana Tech, hydrogeologists have been using a Hidex 300 SL for many years to analyse collected water samples.

Click the button below to find out how the 300 SL's automated functionality helps labs manage unequilibrated samples.

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Radiation monitoring and environmental research

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. 

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Radiometric analysis of heavier actinides

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.

Click the button below to find out more.

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Quantifying radiolabelled CECs

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 organisms to understand how long they persist by ¹⁴C radiolabeling.

You can find out more about ARIEL's research by clicking the button below.

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"... we are very happy with its operation, and its maintenance has been very simple.”

With a focus on protection against ionising radiation, SURO is a part of the Czech Republic’s national system for radiation monitoring. As such, Head of Radiochemistry Dr. Michal Fejgl and his department analyse environmental and food chain samples, as well as independently monitoring two nuclear power plants at Temelín and Dukovany. The team would also be responsible for emergency monitoring in the event of an accident.

Dr. Fejgl said, "We have used the Hidex 300 SL for six years. Its digital lead shield was a new feature at the time, and it was able to meet our original specification of counting tritium at 1.2 Bq/litre. Other models of LSC were both prohibitively expensive in the Czech Republic and employed active shielding, which we found produced misleading results meaning they were unreliable for statistical analysis.

“Considering how many years we have been using the 300 SL and its original cost, I can say we are very happy with its operation, and its maintenance has been very simple.”

You can find out more about SURO and Dr. Fejgl's work by clicking the button below. 

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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.

You can learn more by clicking the button below.

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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.

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