https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-04752-1
Regular Article
Determination of boron in borated concrete by means of a simplified prompt gamma activation analysis at the HOTNES facility
1
ENEA Department Fusion and Technologies for Nuclear Safety and Security, Frascati, Italy
2
Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, INFN, via Enrico Fermi 54, 00044, Frascati, Italy
3
Tecnostrutture S.r.l., via A. Meucci 26, 30020, Noventa di Piave, Italy
4
SVA S.r.l. – BARIBLOCK®, via A. Meucci 26, 30020, Noventa di Piave, Italy
a
antonino.pietropaolo@enea.it
Received:
3
August
2023
Accepted:
23
November
2023
Published online:
15
December
2023
The prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) is an elemental analysis based on the γ-ray emission following neutron radiative capture by nuclides. A simplified and compact PGAA for the determination of boron in borated concrete was setup at the HOTNES neutron facility, relying on common laboratory equipment. The thermal neutron field has fluence rate of about 20 cm−2 s−1 and is obtained from a moderated americium-boron neutron source. The γ-ray detector is a common 3″ × 3″ NaI(Tl) scintillator. Samples of borated resin with the same geometry of the concrete samples were manufactured and used as standards. A specific “blank sample” correction was developed to isolate the boron contribution in the spectra obtained by irradiating the concrete samples. Boron quantities in the order of 1.5–2.0 g were measured in the concrete samples with uncertainty in the order of ± 6%, in agreement with manufacturer's expectations. The Detection Limit of this simplified and compact boron analysis is in the order of 0.3 g in terms of boron mass, in line with values given in literature for PGAA-based boron analysis performed at research fission reactors.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
