Research on Interaction Between Elements for PGNAA Cement Sample

Abstract

The interactions between elements such as Ca, Fe, Si, Na, Mg, Al, and S in a cement sample were analyzed using prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA). The actual Ca, Si, and Fe contents in the cement sample and the measured values from the PGNAA were compared in terms of the interactions between the elements using a linear fitting technique, followed by applying a regression analysis correction. The results show that the linearly fitted graphs have more decentralized data points, with relatively larger errors in the measured Ca, Fe, and Si contents (maximum errors are 18.07, 1.68, and 18.47, respectively). However, the interactions between Ca, Fe, Si, Na, Mg, Al, S, and other elements were eliminated after applying the correction. Accordingly, the errors in the measured Ca, Fe, and Si contents were lower (maximum values are 0.97, 0.13, and 0.01, respectively). The correction method helps in improving the measurement accuracy.