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Design, construction and characterization of a prompt gamma activation analysis facility at the Oregon State University TRIGA® reactor

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Abstract

A prompt gamma neutron activation analysis facility has been designed, built, and characterized at the Oregon State University TRIGA® reactor. This facility was designed for versatile multi-elemental analyses. The facility utilizes the leakage neutrons originating from beam port #4 of the Oregon State University TRIGA® reactor. The neutrons are collimated through a series of lead and Boral® collimators, and filtered through both a bismuth filter and single-crystal sapphire. Samples are irradiated in a sample chamber outside the biological shielding of the reactor, and the resulting gamma radiation produced from neutron interactions within the sample is monitored using a high-purity germanium detector (HPGe). The thermal and epithermal neutron fluxes were measured using gold-foil irradiations and found to be 2.81 × 107 and 1.70 × 104 cm−2 s−1, respectively. The resulting cadmium ratio was 106. Measured detection limits for boron, chlorine, and potassium in a NIST SRM 1571 orchard leaf were 5.6 × 10−4 mg/g, 8.2 × 10−2 mg/g, and 1.0 mg/g, respectively. Detection limits for additional elements and samples are presented.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the reactor operations staff at the OSTR for working with us to construct, install, and characterize the instrument. We would also like to thank Dr. Gregory Downing at NIST for providing us with the sample chamber for this instrument.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331-5903, USA

    Joshua A. Robinson

  2. Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2104, USA

    Michael R. Hartman

  3. Radiation Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331-5903, USA

    Steven R. Reese

Authors
  1. Joshua A. Robinson
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  2. Michael R. Hartman
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  3. Steven R. Reese
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Correspondence to Joshua A. Robinson.

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Robinson, J.A., Hartman, M.R. & Reese, S.R. Design, construction and characterization of a prompt gamma activation analysis facility at the Oregon State University TRIGA® reactor. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 283, 359–369 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-009-0358-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-009-0358-2

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