Abstract
Theoretical activation calculations for Fe, Ni, and stainless steel foils were compared against irradiated foil measurements from a critical assembly. Calculated/experiment values spanning 0.62–1.31 showed that the restricted approach used here is insufficient for experiment planning, with the collapsed cross-section being the primary source of error. The effect of decay time on gamma-ray spectroscopy measurement reliability was investigated using a Monte Carlo HPGe detector model. Simulations showed no correlation with decay time, absent interferences. Specific interferences for Fe-59 (Ni) and Co-60 (stainless steel) activation product ratios suggested optimal measurement windows having respective decay times of 9–11 days and 4–7 days.
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This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
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Goodell, J.J., Egnatuk, C.M., Padgett, S.W. et al. Comparison of irradiated foil measurements with activation calculations and HPGe simulations. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 316, 475–483 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-5820-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-5820-6