Pendar X10

Mobile Raman spectrometer identifies hazardous substances from a distance

© Pendar Technologies

When handling unknown substances, firefighters, police, customs officers and military personnel must be prepared for all kinds of dangers. Maintaining a safe distance from the substance is a crucial precaution. Especially with unknown chemicals that may be potentially flammable, toxic or otherwise hazardous, distance reduces the risk to responders and facilitates subsequent decontamination.

The new Pendar X10 handheld Raman spectrometer is specifically designed to safely analyze chemicals at a distance. Chemical or pharmaceutical companies can also take advantage of these unique capabilities to ensure qualitative measurements at reduced risk.

Advantages of the Pendar X10

• Measurement from a safe distance – distance to the substance 30 cm – 200 cm.
• Measurement of solid and liquid substances – with additional fluorescence suppression.
• Does not ignite or burn thermally sensitive substances – below 100 mW with laser rastering function.
• Light and handy – little ballast for the user.
• Easy connection to remote manipulators – mount attachment available.
• Low training requirements – user-friendly operation.
• Iterative search algorithm – improved mixture analysis.

What are the new possibilities of remote hazardous material measurements?

Currently available Raman instruments are susceptible to direct and intense stray light. To avoid the influence of stray light on the measurement result, these devices therefore require direct contact with the sample. The dual laser system (shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy = SERDS) of the Pendar X10 circumvents this limitation. It can measure from a distance and achieve reliable and reproducible results regardless of external light conditions. As a result, it gives responders additional options in a variety of scenarios:

• Measurement of suspicious samples indoors through windows or vehicle windows.
• Identification of potentially toxic materials from a safe distance.
• Easier measurement and identification of inaccessible samples (e.g., in barrels).
• Measurement of multiple samples in the field without time-consuming repositioning.
• Fast and simple decontamination after critical operations.

Highest safety when handling unknown substances

Raman measurements usually involve the introduction of high energy into the sample. Therefore, Raman spectrometers often have laser protection class 3B with up to 500 mW laser power. This means that dark or heat-sensitive materials are strongly heated selectively and thermally sensitive materials are brought to conversion. The Pendar X10 avoids this by using a low laser power (< 100 mW), laser class 3R and a larger measurement area that is scanned by the laser focus. In addition, remote measurements are also possible. For this, the Pendar X10 is mounted either on a robot or a stationary, remote-controlled gimbal. This significantly expands the possible uses of the Pendar X10 and also makes it so unique.

Areas of application

• Solids and liquids
• Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs)
• Explosives
• Precursors of explosives
• Narcotics