Specific Purpose Monte Carlo Code Research Articles

Implementation of the Monte Carlo Library Least-Squares (MCLLS) approach for quantification of the chlorine impurity in an on-line crude oil monitoring system

Prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) has been widely used for elemental analysis of bulk samples as it provides an on-line, rapid and non-destructive means of performing such analysis. The Monte Carlo Library Least-Squares (MCLLS) approach is one of the methods for quantitative analysis providing elemental weight fractions via an assumption that the total prompt gamma-ray spectrum is a linear combination of the contributions from the individual prompt gamma-ray spectra of the sample constituents. For the generation of prompt gamma-ray libraries of each constituent, a specific purpose Monte Carlo code system called Center for Engineering Applications of Radioisotopes Coincidence Prompt Gamma-Ray (CEARCPG) is utilized. In this work, the focus was on detecting and measuring chlorine impurity in crude oil samples, i.e. trace amounts of chlorine. A preliminary study investigating the feasibility of PGNAA method in conjunction with the MCLLS approach for measuring trace amounts of chlorine in oil samples was performed. For this purpose, an extended version of the MCLLS approach, the so-called MCLLSX approach, was proposed and applied for the quantitative analysis. The results presented in this paper prove the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Development of a method for on-line determination of chlorine impurity in crude oil by using fast neutrons

An important challenge in the petroleum industry is to reduce the salt content to acceptable levels in crude oil. Continuous monitoring of crude oil salinity is thus an important aspect. However, development of safe and reliable on-line and non-intrusive monitoring systems is still a challenging task. In this work, a method for non-intrusive, on-line monitoring of the chlorine impurity in crude oil based on prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) in conjunction with a portable pulsed neutron generator producing 14MeV neutrons in deuterium-tritium (DT) nuclear reactions is proposed and tested. Simulations with Monte Carlo N-Particle version 6 (MCNP6) transport code combined with Center for Engineering Applications of Radioisotopes Detector Response Function (CEARDRF) and a specific purpose Monte Carlo code called Center for Engineering Applications of Radioisotopes Coincidence Prompt Gamma-Ray (CEARCPG) were used for the design optimization of the experiments. Preliminary results indicate that a minimum detection limit for chlorine impurity of about 71mg/L is achievable for an integration time of 30min.

Enhancement of the intrinsic gamma-ray stopping efficiency of Geiger–Müller counters

Geiger–Müller counters are frequently employed in many industrial radiation gauges. However, it is of practical interest to further extend the usage areas of these detectors to include applications such as dual modality densitometry and industrial gamma-ray tomography. This is mainly because these counters exhibit a high degree of robustness in demanding environments, their relatively low cost and the fact that they require simple read-out electronics. The main drawback of these counters is their relatively poor intrinsic gamma-ray stopping efficiency which is of the order of 1.0% for a wide range of primary photon energies. Therefore, identification of a method whereby the poor stopping efficiency in these detectors could be improved is of great interest. For this purpose Monte Carlo analyses were carried out, at photon emission energy of 59.5keV, to investigate the feasibility of introducing high density and high atomic number insulating disks inside a cylindrical Geiger–Müller counter. Calculations were performed using a specific purpose Monte Carlo code that was validated against experimental stopping efficiency data at 59.5keV. The preliminary simulation results show that a threefold increase in the efficiency of the counter could be expected as well as the fact that the simulation of secondary electron transport in the fill gas becomes critical. The results reported in this work also show that the maximum achievable low energy gamma-ray detection efficiency in Geiger–Müller counters is still significantly less than the efficiency of semiconductor and scintillation detectors at the corresponding photon energies. Therefore, the development of efficient Geiger–Müller counters will remain a challenge.

Produced water characterization by prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis

Multiphase gas/oil/water measurement has been and still is a challenging task within the petroleum industry. The requirements of measurement efficiency and accuracy have been continuously increasing at the same time as the trend is to use subsea installations. As a response, the design of the SOFA (Subsea Online Fluid Analyser) concept was initiated by Christian Michelsen Research in cooperation with the University of Bergen. The final design of the analyser is yet to be completed. The ultimate goal of this design is the development of a permanently installed subsea metering station which is capable of characterizing all of the components that can be found in multiphase flow. One of the key challenges in this design is the detailed characterization of produced water samples which includes the identification of salt ions in the sample and their weight percentages. In this work, use of prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) in conjunction with the so-called Monte Carlo library least-squares (MCLLS) approach is considered for characterization of the produced water component. A relatively simple produced water sample was prepared and the prompt gamma-ray spectrum of the sample was recorded using a large 6" × 6" NaI(Tl) scintillation detector. A specific purpose Monte Carlo code named CEARCPG was used to generate the pertinent elemental libraries that are required in the MCLLS approach. The results of this feasibility study have shown that the PGNAA in conjunction with the MCLLS approach would be feasible for determining the amounts of salt ions that can be found in produced water samples.

Monte Carlo investigation and optimization of coincidence prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis

Normal Prompt Gamma-Ray Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) suffers from a large inherent noise or background. The coincidence PGNAA approach is being investigated for eliminating almost all of the interfering backgrounds and thereby significantly improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This can be done since almost all of the prompt gamma rays from elements of interest are emitted in coincidence except hydrogen. However, it has been found previously that while the use of two normal NaI detectors greatly reduces the background, the signal is also greatly reduced so that very little improvement in standard deviation is obtained. With the help of MCNP5, the general-purpose Monte Carlo N-Particle code, and CEARCPG, the specific purpose Monte Carlo code for Coincidence PGNAA, further optimization of the proposed coincidence system is being accomplished. The idea pursued here is the use of a large area plastic scintillation detector as the trigger for coincidence events together with a normal large NaI detector. In this approach the detection solid angle is increased greatly, which directly increases the probability of coincidence detection. The 2D-coincidence spectrum obtained can then be projected to the axis representing the NaI detector to overcome the drawback of low energy resolution and photopeak intensity of the plastic scintillation detector and utilize the overall higher coincidence counting rate. To reach the best coincidence detection, the placement of detectors, sample, and the moderator of the neutron source have been optimized through Monte Carlo simulation.

On the use of prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis for determining phase amounts in multiphase flow

Prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) is considered for the measurement of the in situ multiphase flow amounts of oil, gas, water and salt in a deep sea oil well. PGNAA has the advantages for this application that: (1) useful characteristic prompt gamma rays are produced by neutron interactions with almost all elements, (2) it is a rapid non-destructive measurement method, (3) a large sample volume is measured and (4) it can be used under the relatively extreme conditions present for undersea oil recovery. Feasibility calculations have been made with the previously developed Monte Carlo–library least-squares (MCLLS) measurement approach used with the specific purpose Monte Carlo code named CEARCPG that was previously developed at CEAR for PGNAA bulk material analysis. A slight modification of the MCLLS measurement approach previously developed for the nonlinear PGNAA and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDXRF) measurement applications is used for the present application. This modification allows the use of the very accurate forward Monte Carlo calculation of the PGNAA response and consists of using first the three components oil plus gas, water and salt as library spectra rather than the normal use of individual elemental libraries. Then the gamma-ray transmission density gauge response from the Cs-137 source is used to obtain the amount of gas. This approach allows one to determine the four parameters of primary interest directly. The arrangement considered is the use of a Cf-252 neutron source and a Cs-137 gamma-ray source with a large NaI detector placed on the opposite side of a right circular cylindrical sample holder for an assumed homogeneous mixture of oil, gas and seawater. A background that was previously obtained experimentally in bulk analysis applications was added in various amounts to the response here to make the calculations more reasonable. More experimental results for benchmarking will be taken in the future. Results indicate that this approach would be accurate and is feasible.

Simulation of Compton camera imaging with a specific purpose Monte Carlo code

A specific purpose Monte Carlo model that treats the physical processes of image formation in Compton cameras is presented. Features of the model include: detailed Compton scattering physics, including incoherent scattering functions and Doppler broadening; multiple scattering; and peak detector response functions. Calculation efficiency is enhanced by making every history result in a partial success through the extensive use of pathway sampling variance reduction techniques. The code was benchmarked to data obtained from a prototype camera using CdZnTe and silicon room-temperature detector technology. Reasons for observed discrepancies between the simulation model and experiments are explored. Implicit assumptions, related to our implementation of pathway sampling, appear to be the greatest source of error.

Development of the specific purpose Monte Carlo code CEARXRF for the design and use of in vivo X-ray fluorescence analysis systems for lead in bone

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) systems have been increasingly used for in vivo toxic trace-element analysis in the human body, such as lead in the tibia. Monte Carlo simulation can provide an efficient and flexible method for designing and using in vivo XRF systems. The Monte Carlo code CEARXRF has been developed specifically to simulate the complete pulse height spectrum of energy dispersive XRF systems. This code is capable of tracking photons in a general geometry and modelling all of the physics of photon interactions in the energy range 1–150 keV for elements Z = 1–94, including primary and higher degree excitations of K and L XRF, the Doppler broadening of Compton-scattered photon energies, and the polarization effects in low-energy photon scatterings. The scattering background for minimum detectable concentration (MDC) analysis may be simulated more accurately by taking into account Doppler broadening in the distribution of the Compton-scattered photon energy due to electron-binding effects. The use of polarized excitation photons has been shown to be important in producing a low scattering background and good measurement sensitivity. The code has two very unique and important features: (1) complete composition and density correlated sampling that is extremely useful for studying measurement sensitivity to small changes in sample composition and density; and (2) Monte Carlo library spectra calculation for the determination of elemental amounts by the Monte Carlo-Library Least-Squares (MCLLS) method. The capability of CEARXRF to aid the design and optimization of in vivo XRF analysis has been verified by modelling hypothesized lead K and L XRF measurement systems.

Optimization of in vivo X-ray fluorescence analysis methods for bone lead by simulation with the Monte Carlo code CEARXRF

In the design of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) systems for in vivo measurements of lead in human bone, the most important considerations are the minimum detectable concentration (MDC), and accuracy and precision. Possible design optimizations can be investigated much more easily and economically by Monte Carlo simulation than by experiment. The specific purpose Monte Carlo code CEARXRF has been used in the present study for: (1) improving the MDC of a hypothesized in vivo 109Cd source-based KXRF system and a 109Cd source or X-ray tube source-based LXRF system by investigating the effects of source polarization and source-bone-detector geometry modification on reducing the scattering background, and (2) investigating the effects of sample variables, such as overlying skin thickness on the MDC and the lead XRF intensity precision. In addition, the feasibility of the Monte Carlo-Library Least-Squares (MCLLS) approach has been investigated in a preliminary fashion for 109Cd-based KXRF spectroscopy analysis.

The specific purpose Monte Carlo code McENL for simulating the response of epithermal neutron lifetime well logging tools

A new specific purpose Monte Carlo code called McENL for modeling the time response of epithermal neutron lifetime tools is described. The weight windows technique, employing splitting and Russian roulette, is used with an automated importance function based on the solution of an adjoint diffusion model to improve the code efficiency. Complete composition and density correlated sampling is also included in the code, and can be used to study the effect on tool response of small variations in the formation, borehole, or logging tool composition and density. An illustration of the latter application is given for the density of a thermal neutron filter. McENL was benchmarked against test-pit data for the Mobil pulsed neutron porosity tool and was found to be very accurate. Results of the experimental validation and details of code performance are presented.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Specific purpose Monte Carlo code development for nuclear well logging applications

The authors have been developing specific purpose Monte Carlo simulation programs for the suite of nuclear well logging devices that are in present use. To date codes called McPNL and McDNL have been developed and tested for the pulsed neutron lifetime and dual-spaced or compensated neutron porosity logs, respectively. Another code called McLDL is presently under development for the gamma-ray litho-density logs. These codes are discussed and results are presented as to their construction, advantages, and uses as compared to the general purpose codes MCNP and McBEND. Computational benchmark problems are specified for all three logs for future quantitative comparisons.

Correlated sampling added to the specific purpose Monte Carlo code McPNL for neutron lifetime log responses

The special-purpose neutron-lifetime oil well logging simulation code, McPNL, has been rewritten for greater user-friendliness and faster execution. Correlated sampling has been added to the code to enable studies of relative changes in the tool response caused by environmental changes. The absolute responses calculated by the code have been benchmarked against laboratory test pit data. The relative responses from correlated sampling are not directly benchmarked, but they are validated using experimental and theoretical results. The correlated sampling scheme has been tested using the addition of p.p.m. levels of boron-10 to a 13% porosity limestone reference formation and showed excellent agreement with the expected change in the thermal capture cross section. >