Reference, Questions and Help > Instrument Q&A

REM-500 Neutron Survey Meter (FarWest Technology)

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McCrank:
The facility I work at purchased five units and put them into service about a year ago. We are currently down to one working unit. They are nice to carry but don't seem to be as durable as the the old Ball of Bear Fat. ;)

Scorpio51:
We have one at HNP.  Nice and light compared with a remball.  Works great for spent fuel shipments.  We've tried it in the RCB at power and it doesn't like the heat. 

Silverthorn28:

--- Quote from: McCrank on Jan 07, 2004, 08:09 ---The facility I work at purchased five units and put them into service about a year ago. We are currently down to one working unit. They are nice to carry but don't seem to be as durable as the the old Ball of Bear Fat. ;)

--- End quote ---

I share with you on this. The REM-500 is really prone to damage.
Our people tend to like Ludlum 2363 with a Prescila probe.

spentfuel:
a. What did you think of the instrument?

Light weight easy to use not to durable

b. What are the "pros" and "cons" of the instrument?

Pros (see A) plus I also believe its spectral

Cons (see A) plus because of the cal source Cf 252 in some plant neutron spectrum's it may not give an accurate reading (or thats what I have heard)

It does contain an optional Cm 244 internal check source so it has to be handled as ram and shipped as such

It contains propane gas in the detector but I have also heard this is not a shipping issue but have seen no documentation which supports that.

 
c. How would you compare it to the REM-Ball?

The ball is heavy the 500 is not.

The ball has a susceptibility to static build up that makes the needles go Nana's the 500 is digital

The ball has a Bf3 detector which is classified as a poisonous gas there is suppose to be some DOT exemption for the detector but again I have not seen one, the 500 if equipped with the source is class 7 without considering the propane

hope that helps

sf

Boilermaker:
Pros: Light weight, easy to use, has been in industry over 10+ years.

Cons: digital display, very shock sensitive, but can be mitigated by "zero-ing" it.  If bumped, it can jump real fast and high, but like I said, you can zero it to start over.  Nice backlit (25 seconds) and good integrate modes.  Newer models are now called Rem500B and check sources are no longer being sold attached to meter. 

My 0.02
In my opinion, this meter is not a replacement for the remball, but an addition or side-by-side companion to it.  We use it as a backup to the remball or when entering fields that are known/routine b/c of its light weight, compare to lugging the 18 lbs remball.  Also when implementing any new instrument, it's always an uphill battle to get everyone on board into using it over something that they have used pretty much all their career.  Hope this helps.     

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