Determination of the HPGe detector efficiency in measurements of radioactivity in extended environmental samples

Abstract A methodology to determine the full energy peak efficiency (FEPE) for precise gamma spectrometry measurements of environmental samples with high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, valid when this efficiency depends on the energy of the radiation E, the height of the cylindrical sample H, and its density ρ, is introduced. The methodology consists of an initial calibration as a function of E and H and the application of a self-attenuation factor, depending on the density of the sample ρ, in order to correct for the different attenuation of the generic sample in relation to the measured standard. The obtained efficiency can be used in the whole range of interest studied, E = 120–2000 keV, H = 1–5 cm, and ρ = 0.8–1.7 g/cm3, being its uncertainty below 5%. The efficiency has been checked by the measurement of standards, resulting in a good agreement between experimental and expected activities. The described methodology can be extended to similar situations when samples show geometric and compaction differences.

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Developing a software for self-absorption correction for gamma spectrometry of soil and water samples based on MCNP5 Monte Carlo simulations

Scientific Research Journal ◽

10.24191/srj.v17i1.6326 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 13

Author(s):

Eliyeh Zamani ◽

Sedigheh Sina ◽

Reza Faghihi ◽

Banafshe Zeinali-Rafsanjani

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Environmental Samples ◽

Hpge Detector ◽

Gamma Spectroscopy ◽

Efficiency Calibration ◽

Monte Carlo Code ◽

Detector Efficiency ◽

Calibration Curves ◽

Absorption Correction ◽

Soil And Water

Gamma spectroscopy using HPGe is one of the most effective methods in determining the concentration of gamma emitting radionuclides in environmental samples. The purpose of this study is obtaining the efficiency calibration curves for the HPGe detector using MCNP5 Monte Carlo code, and designing appropriate software for correction of self-absorption caused by changes in density, height, and geometry of different samples. For this purpose the detector was simulated using MCNP5 Monte Carlo code, and the detector calibration curves were obtained for different geometries and heights, and appropriate software was designed for efficiency calibration. The results obtained in this study, show that changing the height, geometry, and density of the samples have significant effects on the detector efficiency because of the changes in self-absorption of the samples. Comparison of the self-absorption correction using the software, and the results of simulations show that designed software can predict the calibration curves for the new samples in different energies with error much less than 1%.

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Experimental and Monte Carlo determination of HPGe detector efficiency

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry ◽

10.1007/s10967-019-06856-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 322 (3) ◽

pp. 1863-1869 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Miroslav Ješkovský ◽

Andrej Javorník ◽

Róbert Breier ◽

Jarmila Slučiak ◽

Pavel P. Povinec

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Hpge Detector ◽

Detector Efficiency

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Colorimetric Determination of Sulphur Dioxide and Sulphites in Various Environmental Samples

Journal of the Chinese Chemical Society ◽

10.1002/jccs.200300038 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 257-260 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sukumar Chatterjee ◽

Ajai K. Pillai ◽

V. K. Gupta

Keyword(s):

Sulphur Dioxide ◽

Environmental Samples ◽

Colorimetric Determination

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Field analysis Cr(VI) in water samples by a smartphone-based ultralong absorption path reflection colorimetric device

New Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.1039/d0nj05948j ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaolan Chen ◽

Cheng Ma ◽

Qi Kang ◽

Yu-Qin Chen ◽

Dazhong Shen

Keyword(s):

Hexavalent Chromium ◽

Water Samples ◽

Environmental Samples ◽

Field Analysis ◽

Absorption Path

Hexavalent chromium is highly toxic and regarded as one of the main pollutants in environmental samples. Sophisticated laboratory instruments are commercially available for in-field determination of chromium. It is highly...

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