Baltic Scientific Instruments (BSI)
THE STRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGICAL FACILITIES
The structure of company includes:
  1. Research Department
  2. Calibration and Testing Laboratory
  3. Technological Department
  4. Electronics Department
  5. Designer Bureau
  6. Mechanical Workshop

  1. Research Department
    The principal scientific directions of Research Department in BSI are as follows:
    • X-Ray fluorescence analysis
    • radionuclide analysis
    • gases composition detection and analysis
    The researches carried out in BSI are aimed at up-to-date analytical equipment creation. The research results are adopted to the devices manufactured by BSI.

  2. Calibration and Testing Laboratory
    Company has its own calibration and testing laboratory, accredited as a testing laboratory (Reg. No. LATAK-T-043-01-96-A) by Latvian National Accreditation Bureau. Laboratory is accredited in the following spheres:
    • dosimetric and spectrometric measurements
    • radioactive pollution determination
    • determination of concentration of chemical elements in liquid and bulk samples by X-ray fluorescence analysis

  3. Technological Department
    Technological department carries out the research and testing of semiconductor materials, develops technologies for the creation of different types of semiconductor detectors, produces detectors for BSI equipment. This department has all equipment for semiconductor technologies: cutting, polish-ing, diffusion, drifting, vacuum evaporation, photo-lithography, microassembling, testing.

  4. Electronics Department
    Electronics department develops analog and digital circuitry of devices, develops and produces circuit printed boards with ordinary (through holes) wiring and by using SMD technology.

  5. Designer Bureau
    Designer Bureau carries out computer development of design and construction of devices, cryostats and all parts of units produced by the company.

  6. Mechanical Workshop
    Mechanical workshop has 40 universal machines of general purposes and manufactures all metal parts for devices and equipment produced by the company.
THE STRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGICAL FACILITIES
That is why during the last years BSI successfully combines business of nuclear electronics with the development of other types of scientific production, participating in joint manufacture of different devices ordered by other companies. According to the above mentioned, BSI plans to consider the possibility of international cooperation in the following spheres: If you are interested in some of numerated spheres, please do not hesitate to address us for the fur-ther additional information.
The List of the Most Important Projects of BSI Specialists
The R&D company Baltic Scientific Instruments (BSI Ltd) was created in 1994 on the basis of Riga Research Institute for Radioisotope Apparatus (RRIRA) and became its legal successor in the scientific production. RRIRA, previously the unit of the Ministry for Atomic Energy, was the unique enterprise in the former Soviet Union, specialising in the area of creation and delivery of semiconductor detectors and equipment on its basis for ionising radiation registration and spec-trometry. Therefore all nuclear energy enterprises and reprocessing plants of the former Soviet Union are equipped with serial devices manufactured in Riga.
    Besides, BSI specialists were participating in the development of specialised devices and spectrometrical systems:
  1. High sensitive three crystal gamma-spectrometer for the I.V.Kurchatov Institute for Nu-clear Power Engineering in 1984-85. With the aids of the above spectrometer, traces of radioactive contamination of soil surface with I-131, Ru-103, Cs-137 in the result of the Chernobyl accident were discovered near Riga in 1986 for the first time in the Baltic.
  2. Fast spectrometric system with 3-crystal X-ray detector comprising two Si(Li) and one HP(Ge) detectors for thermonuclear plasma X-ray diagnostics for plants of TOCAMAC T-10 type in 1985 (I.V.Kurchatov Institute). The analogue system has been delivered and installed to General Atomics, San-Diego, USA for TOCAMAC DIII-D.
  3. Low background high sensitive 3-crystal germanium gamma- spectrometer with scintilla-tion (active) background shielding for detection and measurement of weak gamma-ray fluxes in the conditions of outer space; the spectrometer was intended for operation as a part of "Mir" research and experimental orbital station; the similar instrument was made and delivered to the VNIIF (Ar-zamas-16,Russia) for on-ground investigations.
  4. Gamma-radiation multi-crystal spectrometer for double b-decay effects registration sys-tem. 6-crystals Ge assembly from specific low-background materials – holders for cryostat detec-tors, preamplifiers has been developed. High stable spectrometer with shaping amplifier based on ideal integrators with original system for amplification stabilisation for temperature non-stabilities at long-terms measurements has been developed.
  5. For mining and re-processing enterprises of nuclear energy industry the following devices were developed:
    • borrow holes spectrometers for registration of natural radioactivity;
    • flowing spectrometers for monitoring of dressing degree of transuranic elements in solutions;
    • automated monitoring systems for relative content of transuranic elements in uranium dioxide;
    • X-Ray analysers with preliminary selection of initial and secondary radiations based on pyrolitic graphite assemblies for monitoring of materials in the presence of high gamma and beta-background;
    • Spectrometrical monitoring devices for solid and liquid wastes;
    • Precision low-background monitoring devices for outer nature samples.
  6. In 1995 BSI has developed and manufactured autonomous deep-water gamma spectrome-ter GAR-01 for precision gamma spectrometry of radionuclides in sea bottom investigations, inspec-tion of sea accident objects, search of lost nuclear war-heads, in investigation of radionuclide migra-tion from underwater burials of radioactive rejects. The device has been applied in radionuclide measurements around sank submarine “Komsomolets” in Norway Sea.
  7. In 1996 BSI has developed and delivered 2 XRF spectrometers for explosive materials monitoring for Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology (China).
  8. In 1997 BSI has won the International Tender A-2, Project LNPP-NSA, supported by European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. The system for off-site radiation monitoring in emergency situations has been developed, manufactured and installed in 1998 at Leningrad NPP. Automated spectrometric system can be placed directly in outlets channels of nuclear energy en-terprises, in the places of underwater bury of radioactive wastes and other radiationally dangerous sources and provides continuous monitoring for volumetric radionuclides activity in water. It does not require application of water-inlet equipment, is fully automated and executes monitoring for the radionuclides content in water practically in real time mode.
  9. In 1999 for IAEA (Vienna) BSI together with STUK (Finland) and Institute of Nuclear Techniques (Hungary) has developed and manufactured four-detectors prototype of imaging system for monitoring of waste fuel rods assemblies. 100-detectors (CdZnTe) imaging system is planning to develop in 2000 year.
  10. In 1999 BSI together with METOREX (Finland) has developed and manufactured 4x4 pixel detection unit based on CdZnTe for space applications for Marshall Space Centre (NASA).
  11. In 1999 BSI together with METOREX (Finland) has developed and manufactured 3x3 pixel detection unit based on CdZnTe for space applications for EuroSpace Agency.
  12. In 1999 for IAEA (Vienna) BSI has developed a new type of portable HPGe planar de-tector for inspection purposes.
At the present time the company develops and produces the various types of nuclear equipment based on semiconductor detectors from Si, HPGe, CdTe, CdZnTe, scintillator-photodiode assemblies supplying them to NPPs, reprocessing plants and research organisations.