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Validation and Correction for 208Tl Activity to Assay 232Th in Equilibrium with Its Daughters

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Abstract

The natural radioactivity measurements and analysis of 232Th have been studied using γ-ray spectroscopy depending on its decay daughters in equilibrium; 208Tl of 583.19 keV, 228Ac of (911.2 and 968.97 keV) and 212Pb of 238.63 keV. When using these gamma transitions to calculate the 232Th specific activity, the 208Tl daughter of 583.19 keV gamma line with its 0.845 branching ratio gives activity of approximately 33.94% less than the other gamma transitions. This article is trying to explain and validate this difference and discrepancy that may encounter analysts during calculation of 232Th activity based on 208Tl (583.19 keV) gamma line. Very efficient HpGe detector was used to carry out this work. The MDA and figure of merit as functions of HpGe and energy sensitivity were calculated and tabulated. This issue was verified and validated using Black sand and natural environmental samples. A correction factor was proposed and applied on the 583 keV line of these samples that contain 232Th in equilibrium with its daughters to minimize and eliminate the abovementioned difference in the calculated 232Th specific activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Engineering Department, Military Technical College, Kobry El-kobbah, Cairo, Egypt

    Omar Abo-Bakr Omar & Mohamed A. E. Abdel-Rahman

  2. Nuclear and Radiological Regularity Authority of Egypt (ENRRA), Cairo, Egypt

    Sayed A. El-Mongy

Authors
  1. Omar Abo-Bakr Omar
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  2. Mohamed A. E. Abdel-Rahman
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  3. Sayed A. El-Mongy
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Correspondence to Omar Abo-Bakr Omar.

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Omar Abo-Bakr Omar, Abdel-Rahman, M.A. & El-Mongy, S.A. Validation and Correction for 208Tl Activity to Assay 232Th in Equilibrium with Its Daughters. Phys. Part. Nuclei Lett. 16, 835–841 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1547477119060505

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1547477119060505

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