6533b86cfe1ef96bd12c8ca1
RESEARCH PRODUCT
An experimental approach to efficiency calibration for gamma-ray spectrometric analysis of large air particulate filters
Elio Angelo Tomarchiosubject
RadiationChemistrySettore ING-IND/20 - Misure E Strumentazione NucleariDetectorGamma rayAnalytical chemistryMineralogyExperimental dataEfficiency calibration Air particulate Gamma-ray spectrometry HPGe detectorsParticulatesSemiconductor detectorFilter (large eddy simulation)CalibrationGamma ray spectrometrydescription
Abstract A full-energy-peak efficiency (FEPE) calibration procedure for gamma-ray spectrometric analysis of air particulate samples collected on large filters is described herein. The experimental results are obtained for an unconventional measurement geometry, termed a “packet-sample”. The sample is obtained from a large cellulose filter (45 cm×45 cm) used to collect air particulate samples that is resized to dimensions suitable for spectrometric measurements (6 cm×6 cm×0.7 cm). To determine the FEPEs, many standards were created, i.e., some filters containing a small amount of ThO 2 and others containing a known amount of KCl. Efficiency curves obtained through best fits to experimental data for three high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors, one of them for X-ray measurement, cover the energy range from 40 keV to 2600 keV. To validate the efficiency calibration procedure two experimental tests with the use of calibrated sources were conducted and, as application example, airborne concentrations of 131 I (particulate matter), 134 Cs and 137 Cs at Palermo (Italy) in the days following the Fukushima accident in Japan were evaluated.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-04-01 |