Method of photon spectral analysis

Patent · Thu Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:868762

Gehrke, Robert J ^[1]; Putnam, Marie H ^[1]; Killian, E Wayne ^[1]; Helmer, Richard G ^[1]; Kynaston, Ronnie L ^[2]; Goodwin, Scott G ^[1]; Johnson, Larry O ^[3]

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1. Idaho Falls, ID
2. Blackfoot, ID
3. Pocatello, ID

A spectroscopic method to rapidly measure the presence of plutonium in soils, filters, smears, and glass waste forms by measuring the uranium L-shell x-ray emissions associated with the decay of plutonium. In addition, the technique can simultaneously acquire spectra of samples and automatically analyze them for the amount of americium and .gamma.-ray emitting activation and fission products present. The samples are counted with a large area, thin-window, n-type germanium spectrometer which is equally efficient for the detection of low-energy x-rays (10-2000 keV), as well as high-energy .gamma. rays (>1 MeV). A 8192- or 16,384 channel analyzer is used to acquire the entire photon spectrum at one time. A dual-energy, time-tagged pulser, that is injected into the test input of the preamplifier to monitor the energy scale, and detector resolution. The L x-ray portion of each spectrum is analyzed by a linear-least-squares spectral fitting technique. The .gamma.-ray portion of each spectrum is analyzed by a standard Ge .gamma.-ray analysis program. This method can be applied to any analysis involving x- and .gamma.-ray analysis in one spectrum and is especially useful when interferences in the x-ray region can be identified from the .gamma.-ray analysis and accommodated during the x-ray analysis.

• Research Organization: EG & G IDAHO INC
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• Assignee: EG&G Idaho, Inc. (Idaho Falls, ID)
• Patent Number(s): US 5206174
• OSTI ID: 868762
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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