13-15 September 2021
Zoom
Africa/Johannesburg timezone

A new Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis facility at UCT

13 Sep 2021, 11:45
15m
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Speaker

Sizwe Mhlongo (University of Zululand)

Description

Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) is one of the most sensitive techniques to non-destructively determine the isotopic composition of a sample. The sensitivity of the technique is determined by the isotope of interest, intensity of the neutron source and neutron energy spectrum. In the case of thermal neutron irradiation with a nuclear reactor the minimum detection limits tend towards the level of ppb. We are in the process of implementing a new INAA facility within the Metrological and Applied Sciences University Research Unit (MeASURe) in the Department of Physics, University of Cape Town. The n-lab currently offers two neutron sources, a D-T sealed tube neutron generator (STNG) and radioisotopic 241Am/9Be source. The STNG produces mono-energetic neutrons of around 14 MeV, with an intensity of 10E8 neutrons per second, and the 220 GBq AmBe source produces neutrons with a broad energy spectrum, ranging from thermal to 11 MeV.

The first experimental phase will determine the limits of detection for a range of isotopes with the existing experimental set-up. This will be supplemented with simulation driven designs for neutron moderators, multipliers and reflectors in order to lower these limits.

Primary authors

Sizwe Mhlongo (University of Zululand) Andy Buffler (UCT) Tanya Hutton (University of Cape Town)

Presentation Materials