Abstract
Utilizing a portable spectroscopy system, a quantitative method for analysis of samples containing a mixture of fission and activation products in nonstandard geometries was developed. This method was not developed to replace other methods such as Monte Carlo or Discrete Ordinates but rather to offer an alternative rapid solution. The method can be used with various sample and shielding configurations where analysis on a laboratory based gamma-spectroscopy system is impractical. The portalle gamma-spectroscopy method involves calibration of the detector and modeling of the sample and shielding to identify and quantify the radionuclides present in the sample. The method utilizes the intrinsic efficiency of the detector and the unattenuated gamma fluence rate at the detector surface per unit activity from the sample to calculate the nuclide activity and Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA). For a complex geometry, a computer code written for shielding applications (MICROSHIELD) is utilized to determine the unattenuated gamma fluence rate per unit activity at the detector surface. Lastly, the method is only applicable to nuclides which emit gamma-rays and cannot be used for pure beta or alpha emitters. In addition, if sample self absorption and shielding is significant, the attenuation will result in high MDA's for nuclides which solely emit low energy gamma-rays. The following presents the analysis technique and presents verification results using actual experimental data, rather than comparisons to other approximations such as Monte Carlo techniques, to demonstrate the accuracy of the method given a known geometry and source term.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
B. Shleien, The Health Physics and Radiological Health Handbook, Revised Ed., 1992.
Gosselin, Smith, Hodge, Clincal Toxicology of Commercial Products, 5th ed.
D. C. Kocher, Radioactive Decay Data Tables: A Handbook of Decay Data for Application to Radiation Dosimetry and Radiological Assessments, DOE-TIC-11026, 1981.
G. W. Frame, Nuclide Identification Catalog for Gamma Emitters and Alpha Emitters, ORAU 88/K-32, 1st ed., Revised November 1989.
R. J. Lewis, Jr., N. I. Sax, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, 11th ed., 1987.
G. F. Knoll, Radiation Detection and Measurement, 2nd ed., 1989.
Grove Engineering, Inc., MICROSHIELD Version 4.2, February 1995.
L. A. Currie, Anal. Chem., 40 (March 1968) No. 3.
Canberra Industries, GENIE-PC Version 2.3 software, 1996.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ebara, S.B., Enghauser, M.W. Quantitative portable gamma-spectroscopy sample analysis for non-standard sample geometries. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 233, 273–279 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02389683
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02389683