7. Future developments and prospects

Indicative economic data

The price of a liquid scintillation counter varies considerably according to its performance and, in particular, its background noise. The order of magnitude of the price, on the French market, of a commercial counter with a sample changer and a background noise reduction system is between 70 and 100 k€ in 2020. Very low-noise models can be two to three times more expensive.

A liter of scintillating water-acceptor mix costs around €50.

Manufacturers and suppliers

Three major manufacturers have historically held the market for liquid scintillation counters until recently: Packard Instruments, Wallac LKB and Beckman Instruments. Beckman and Wallac no longer produce meters, and the meters originally developed by Packard Instruments...