Environmental Monitoring for Safeguards Using k0-standardized Neutron Activation Analysis

Peter Vermaercke, F. Farina Arbocco, Liesel Sneyers, A.S. Leal, Michel Bruggeman

    Research outputpeer-review

    Abstract

    Multi-elemental analysis of samples containing uranium by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) has been generally known as a problematic task due to the numerous radioisotopes produced from the uranium fission when the sample is irradiated with thermal neutrons. In -standardized NAA (k0-NAA), it is possible to correct for this effect through the introduction of -fission factors. In this work, the aim was to determine the feasibility of -NAA as a screening technique for accurate and U-235/U-238 isotopic ratio determination (we further refer to the technique as k0-UNAA) and where k0-UNAA could be positioned versus the other screening techniques.In k0-UNAA, we use an adapted formalismto determine the -U235/U-238 ratio. Several swipe samples spiked withdifferent isotopic ratios were analyzed and demonstrate the feasibility of k0-UNAA as a accurate and liable screening method for the quantification of environmental samples up to several tens of ng. At these levels the uranium concentration can be quantified with a reasonable uncertainty and reliable U235/U238 isotopic ratio analysis could also be performed.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2773-2776
    JournalIEEE transactions on nuclear Science
    Volume57
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Oct 2010

    Cite this