Simulation of instrumental neutron activation analysis by Monte Carlo method

Abstract

In this study, the instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) process has been simulated using Monte Carlo method in three steps at Isfahan Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR), and simulation results have been validated by experiments. The thermal neutron flux at the inner irradiation channel of the reactor and the effective multiplication factor (keff) of the reactor have been investigated by both Monte Carlo simulations and experiments. The Certified Reference Material (CRM) LKSD-4 geology sample has been irradiated in the inner irradiation channel for 60 s, and the gamma spectrum of the activated sample have been measured for 500s after52 s cooling time. The gamma spectrum has been obtained by the HPGe detector. The corrections related to the background spectrum and the detector resolution have been calculated and applied to the results. An experiment has been performed in the similar condition, and the results have been compared with the simulation. The results have showed an acceptable confirmation between experiment and simulation. This method can be used as an effective tool for prediction of the INAA procedure before performing the real analyze on the samples. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd