DETERMINATION OF NUCLIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN SOLUTIONS CONTAINING LOW LEVELS OF RADIOACTIVITY BY LEAST-SQUARES RESOLUTION OF THE GAMMA-RAY SPECTRA

摘要

One of the most difficult and expensive analyses associated with radioactive-waste disposal is the determination of the amount of each of four to ten radioactive nuclides when pre¬sent only at the very low radioactivity levels of 102 to 105 μμc per liter. Gamma-ray spectrum resolution, previously developed to determine higher specific activities, based on data analysis by high speed computer was tested and found to provide a rapid, semi-automatic, reasonably accurate method for these analyses at a cost of 5 to 25 times less than that for conventional methods. The savings increase with the number of samples.