For people who work with radiation, one of the crucial factors is an awareness of the radiation around them. This can be done only by using nuclear radiation detectors of varying types. A simple understanding of the various types of detectors available and how they work will significantly help both to choosing the right radiation detector for the specific task and also for making the most of the features offered on each type of detector.

Nuclear radiation detectors help to find out the intensity and the level of radiation, to take measurements of the energy spectra of particles, to analyze the processes of interaction between atomic nuclei and fast particles, and to examine the degrade processes of uncertain particles.

Radiation measurement is done to find out the emergence of radioactive materials which must be monitored. The purpose with this kind of detection is awareness about the intensity of an established radioactive area, the barriers of a radioactive area, or even the spread of radioactive pollution.

Nuclear radiation detectors are needed in fields of nuclear science and infrastructure. They are categorized in two main types, single element detectors, and also imaging detectors. Single element detectors can also be divided into four types, depending on their mode of operation. These are Scintillation counters, Gas ionization detectors, Semiconductor detectors, and Chemical detectors. Imaging detectors normally include area imaging, such as X-ray imaging, scintillation counter scanning, and also track imaging.

Quite commonplace in understanding what type of nuclear radiation detector to use is to find out how and where it should be used. Different operations and settings will determine the types of radioactive detector, as each detector has different methods it can be specific to fit a function. The uses of nuclear radiation detector can also be classified into several core tasks: protection, measurement, and search.