E. A. De Nadai Fernandes

Ni-Cr Alloy as Neutron Flux Monitor: Composition and Homogeneity Assessment by NAA

A Ni-Cr alloy was chosen as an in-house reference material for neutron flux measurement due to the well-known physical constants of the nuclides or interest and its low cost. The quantification of the Cr and Ni content was performed by neutron activation analysis (NAA), using certified reference materials from NIST as comparators. The concertrations and standard combined uncertainties were 19.32 ± 0.07 % for Cr and 80.2 ± 1.1 % for Ni, and the material is very homogeneous for Cr and moderate homogeneous for Ni.

Metrology for Chemical Measurements and the Position of INAA

Metrology systems are being established by various countries for the worldwide comparability of data related to trade, industrial products, health, and the environment. This has in turn led to an increased interest in methods that have the highest possible accuracy and precision. The relevance of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for metrological science has been evaluated. It is concluded that INAA is a suitable technique for method validation, proficiency testing, development of reference materials and reference methods. Moreover, it is concluded that INAA may comply with the CCQM definition of a definitive or primary ratio method provided that the uncertainty in the results is reduced to much lower levels compared to those currently encountered in most NAA laboratories.

A new monitor for routine thermal and epithermal neutron fluence rate monitoring in k0 INAA

The Zr-Au set for monitoring the thermal and epithermal neutron fluence rate and the epithermal spectrum parameter alpha is not always practicable for routine application of INAA in well-thermalized facilities. An alternative set consisting of Cr, Au and Mo provides values for the thermal neutron fluence rate, f and alpha that are not significantly different from those found via the Zr-Au method and the Cd-covered Zr-method. The IRMM standard SMELS-II was analyzed using the (Au-Cr-Mo) monitor and a good agreement was obtained.

Natural radionuclide-free phosphoric acid production

High-uranium phosphate rock from Itataia, Brazil, was milled for wet-process phosphoric acid production using the dihydrate method. Uranium contained in the phosphoric acid was recovered by solvent extraction. The distribution of long-lived natural radionuclides of the 238U and 232Th decay series involved in these operations was evaluated. 226Ra, 228Ra and 210Pb were found to predominate in the phosphogypsum, while 228Th, 230Th and 232Th in the uranium-free phosphoric acid. Thorium is removed from the phosphoric acid by solvent extraction to produce a NORM-free phosphoric acid.

Quality assessment in a Brazilian laboratory performing k0-NAA

This work is focused at the demonstration of the overall adequacy of the procedures introduced in a Brazilian laboratory for conducting the k0-standardized NAA. Concentrations of 29 elements determined in certified reference materials of plants and geological matrices are evaluated. Most of the experimentally determined values agreed well with the reference data and no consistent bias could be attributed to the analytical system adopted.

Tracking soil transport to sugarcane industry using neutron activation analysis.

Soil as mineral impurity in sugarcane loads impacts the Brazilian sugar-ethanol industry with rising production and maintenance costs as well as decreased productivity. The mechanical harvesting of sugarcane was conceived as a technology with potential to increase the raw material quality thereby has been gradually replacing manual harvesting throughout the country. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was applied for determination of soil tracers in order to compare the performance of both harvesting systems in terms of mineral impurities. There were no significant differences in the amount of soil transported to sugarcane industry despite the technological progress aggregated to mechanical harvesting. However, for both harvesting systems there were significant differences on the amount of such mineral impurity between clay and sandy soils.