The α-induced thick-target γ-ray yield from light elements

Heaton, R.

doi:10.2172/79120

Cited by 1 publication

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“…7 Thick-target yields for the light elements have also been determined by irradiation of light-element samples in alpha-particle beams. 8,9,10 However, the gammaray yields obtained in the various studies are not directly applicable to the analysis of impure plutonium-oxide materials. The results depend on the experimental conditions, which include the chemical form of the element, particle size, sample size, density, and isotopic composition of the plutonium.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A calibration to predict the concentrations of impurities in plutonium oxide by prompt gamma analysis: Revision 1

Narlesky¹,

Foster²,

Kelly³

et al. 2009

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Over 5,500 containers of excess plutonium-bearing materials have been packaged for long-term storage following the requirements of DOE-STD-3013. Knowledge of the chemical impurities in the packaged materials is important because certain impurities, such as chloride salts, affect the behavior of the material in storage leading to gas generation and corrosion when sufficient moisture also is present. In most cases, the packaged materials are not well characterized, and information about the chemical impurities is limited to knowledge of the material's processing history. The alpha-particle activity from the plutonium and americium isotopes provides a method of nondestructive self-interrogation to identify certain light elements through the characteristic, prompt gamma rays that are emitted from alpha-particle-induced reactions with these elements. Gamma-ray spectra are obtained for each 3013 container using a highresolution, coaxial high-purity germanium detector. These gamma-ray spectra are scanned from 800 to 5,000 keV for characteristic, prompt gamma rays from the detectable elements, which include lithium, beryllium, boron, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, and potassium. The lower limits of detection for these elements in a plutonium-oxide matrix increase with atomic number and range from 100 or 200 ppm for the lightest elements such as lithium and beryllium, to 19,000 ppm for potassium. The peak areas from the characteristic, prompt gamma rays can be used to estimate the concentration of the light-element impurities detected in the material on a semiquantitative basis. The use of prompt gamma analysis to assess impurity concentrations avoids the expense and the risks generally associated with performing chemical analysis on radioactive materials. The analyzed containers are grouped by impurity content, which helps to identify high-risk containers for surveillance and in sorting materials before packaging.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%