Automated System for Neutron Activation Analysis
Analysis of a large number of samples for an environmental and geological survey by neutron activation analysis requires automated facilities with dynamic operations. Several systems were developed and modified at the institute during the last 15 years with focus on systems with very fast transfer times (less than 300 ms) so as to optimise the analytical procedures of very short nuclides. Most of the available systems are designed to the requirements and specifications of working groups at nuclear research reactors. This work is designed to standardize a system consisting of several modules which can be reduced or extended according to the requirements and budget. The aim to develop a system for transferring the samples from the chemistry laboratory (distance: 30 meters) while keeping the transfer time as short as possible (less than 3 seconds). Additionally, the system must provide dynamic irradiation-counting procedures to enable accurate analysis, regardless of sample size, matrices or irradiation, and measuring techniques. One of the main modifications in this system is to combine the facilities for short-time activation analysis with those used for analysing pre-irradiated samples, thus generally optimising the optimal use of the laboratory for neutron activation analysis.