The use of a Zr-Au-Lu alloy for calibrating the irradiation facility in k₀-NAA and for general neutron spectrum monitoring

Summary

The use of a Zr-Au-Lu alloy allows the simultaneous determination of all neutron spectrum parameters relevant to the k-₀standardization of NAA, in terms of both the Høgdahl and the Westcott convention. The present paper reports on the fundamental aspects (theoretical considerations, desired composition; gamma-spectrometry protocol) of this “all-in-one” alloy and on the experimental results (radiation stability; homogeneity tests) obtained for a variety of prototypes that were produced by some firms specialized in alloying technology. It is concluded that for the most recently produced material all criteria are fulfilled to pass on to the development of a certified Zr-Au-Lu alloy, which would be quite useful not only in the practice of k-₀NAA, but for neutron spectrum monitoring in general.