Utilization of reactor fast neutrons for activation analysis

Abstract

The intense fast-neutron fluxes typically available in reactor cores have been largely ignored for use in neutron activation analysis. In a number of situations, thermal neutron activation analysis gives insufficient sensitivity or ambiguous results due to matrix interference. The use of reactor fast neutrons to overcome these difficulties has been studied for 35 elements. The reuction of interferences from thermal, epithermal and resonance neutrons has resulted in increased utility for analysis with reactor fast neutrons. Of the 35 elements studied, 6 have superior detection limits (sensitivities) for analysis with reactor fast neutrons compared to reactor thermal-neutron activation analysis. Fifteen elements have comparable sensitivities for fast and thermal neutrons, seven have poor sensitivities for fast neutrons and the remaining seven had negligible fast neutron product yields.