Elemental assay of materials by NA and gamma-ray spectroscopy without standards and neutron flux monitoring

The theoretical expression of the induced radioactivity of a nuclide activated by neutron reactions is basically used to develop a mathematical model and an accurate method of evaluating concentrations of elements producing γ-ray emitting isotopes, without use of standards and of neutron flux monitoring. This initial “Without Standard” method is mainly applicable to materials obtained by special or industrial technologies, when precise values of the elemental concentrations, after the synthesis process, are required. A preliminary test of the method, using a Goodfellow Metals stainless steel material irradiated in a thermal neutron field is reported. The results confirm the applicability of the “Without Standard” method to the NAA experiments for the elemental analysis of materials.