DETERMINATION OF OXYGEN BY FAST NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS USING A LOW COST PORTABLE NEUTRON GENERATOR

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4835677

Steele, E L; Meinke, W W

Fast neutron activation analysis, using a low cost Cockcroft-Walton design accelerator as a source of 14-Mev (deuterium-tritium) neutrons, was found to be satisfactory for trace oxygen analysis. This method is rapid, sensitive, and selective, and is free from most matrix interferences. It uses equipment costing no more than infrared or spectrographic instruments. Fast neutrons (>10 Mev) convert O/sup 1/6/sup >/by an (n,p) reaction to 7.4-second N/sup 16/. This in turn emits 6-7 Mev gamma rays which are measured by scintillation spectrometry. Samples containing 10 mg or more of oxygen were analyzed to within plus or minus 10% with a fast flux of approximately 10/sup 8/ n cm/sup -2/ sec/sup -1/. Larger sampl es give smaller errors. By using all the sample area available with an average flux for irradiation of 10/sup 8/ n cmsec/sup -1/ and using a proper transfer system, it should be possible by this non-destructive method to analyze to within approximately plus or minus 10 to 15% for as low as 10 ppm of oxygen. The average time for an analysis, including weighing, is approximately 7 minutes. The onlv interference encountered is from fluorine and this can be compensated for at F/O ratios below 10. (auth)

• Research Organization: Michigan. Univ., Ann Arbor
• NSA Number: NSA-15-032092
• OSTI ID: 4835677
• Report Number(s): TID-14083
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACCELERATORS
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
CHEMISTRY
COCKCROFT-WALTON ACCELERATORS
CONVERSION
DEUTERIUM
ECONOMICS
EMISSION
FAST NEUTRONS
FLUORINE
GAMMA RADIATION
GENERATORS
IMPURITIES
INFRARED RADIATION
INSTRUMENTS
MEASURED VALUES
NEUTRON FLUX
NEUTRONS
NITROGEN 16
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
OXYGEN
OXYGEN 16
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
SPECTRA
SPECTROMETERS
TRITIUM
USES