COMPUTER TECHNIQUES FOR RADIOACTIVATION ANALYSIS. Annual Report

Technical Report · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1960

OSTI ID:4173715

Kuykendall, W E; Wainerdi, R E; Mitchell, J C; Moore, B C; Smith, Jr, R L; Roots, Jr, E N; Shanks, J; Hood, D W; Buglio, B

A major factor delaying the development of radioactivation analysis as a routine analytical tool is the large number of sequential. intendependent operations which are inherent in the various phases of the technique. These phases include the irradiation. the spectral measurement. and the headling of large volumes of data resulting from the measurements. An automatic system was developed which will permit the rapid activation. counting. and the handiing of data resulting from radioactivation analysis of samples containing large numbers of constituents. The computer programs. both analog and digital. which are necessary for the handling of this data. were completed and tested, as has an anticoincidence gamma spectrometer specially designed for this application. An automatic sample-handling device is currently under design and is being built to complete the automated radioactivation analysis system. In addition to accelerating the handling of data, the use of high-spedd computers enhances the accuracy of radioactivation aaalysis through the application of statistical tests to the data. tests which could not be applied manually without a significant loss of time. Rapid mechanical sample preparation. irradiation. and counting techniques are necessary to permit the accumulation of the input data for the computer if full advantage is to be taken of the computer-s very great data- handling spedd. The factors which insure the production of meaningful data include: the physical and nuclear characteristics of the sample. the precise positioning and re-positioning of the sample. the necessary re-counting frequency. the irradiation dosage characteristics. both in dose rate and flux level. the stability of the amplifiers and other electronic devices in the system. and the characteristics of the spectroscopy crystal. among many others. The activating radiation source. the counting system. the multi-channel analyzer. and the computer may be alterdd to suit particular applications since the computer progmms are written so that tuey may be easily translated. Thus far. an AGN 201 reactor neutron source. an Argonne design 256-channel analyzer with an anti-coincidence gamma detector. and both an 118M7O4 digital computer and a 40- ainplifier analog computer (the EESEAC) were used. The sophistication which is necessary for tue automated systems depends upon the extent of uncertainty in the sainple composition, the nuclear properties of the activation targets product. and the number of components present. The memory of the digital computer and its speed in recalling stored information determine the rapidity with which it can handle data. The nuclear properties of tue composite sample govern the required waiting intervals between countings. as well as the maximum permissible activation time: and thus. the sample properties determine the minimum over-all sainple analysis time. The combination of a neutron source. a computer. and a gamnna spectrometer will permit the rapid analysis of large numbers of sainples to very high onders of sensitivity on an automated basis. (auth.)

• Research Organization: Texas. Agricultural and Mechanical Coll., College Station. Engineering Experiment Station
• NSA Number: NSA-14-021398
• OSTI ID: 4173715
• Report Number(s): ORO-307; TEES-2565-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
CHEMISTRY
COMPUTERS
CRYSTALS
GAMMA SPECTROMETERS
IRRADIATION
MEASURED VALUES
PLANNING
RADIATION SOURCES
SENSITIVITY
SPECTRA
SPECTROSCOPY
TARGETS
USES