Detectors for on-line prompt gamma neutron activation analysis

The uncertainty of the elemental analysis is one of the major factors governing the utility of on-line prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) in the blending and sorting of bulk materials. In this paper, a method for quantifying the relative uncertainty from full spectrum analysis on complex materials is presented. The method was applied to three different detector types, NaI, HPGe, and BGO. The results show that the 5–10 times higher detection efficiency of a large size scintillation detector can often outweigh the resolution superiority of a HPGe detector for simple to medium complex bulk materials. The better detector resolution of sodium iodide gave a significantly lower analysis uncertainty than BGO for equal efficiency detectors.