Estudo da viabilidade de aplicação do método Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) no reator TRIGA IPR-R1

Abstract

The TRIGA Mark I IPR-R1 research reactor is located at Nuclear Technology Development Centre (CDTN), Brazilian Commission for Nuclear Energy (CNEN), in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The reactor operates at 100 kW but the core configuration allows the increasing of the power up to 250 kW. It has been applied research, training and radioisotopes production. The establishment of the Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) method at the TRIGA IPRR1 reactor will significantly increase the types of matrices analised as well as the number of chemical elements. Additionally it will complement the neutron activation analysis. This work presents a proposed design of a PGNAA facility to be installed at the TRIGA IPR-R1. The proposed design is based on a tube as a neutron guide from the reactor core, inside the reactor pool, 6 m below the rooms level where shall be located the rack containing the set sample/detector/shielding. Thus, the aim of this study is to verify the feasibility to establish the PGNAA method in IPR-R1 through theoretical study applying the Monte Carlo code. The feasibility of establishing the PGAA method at the IPR-R1 installations was evaluated through of the calculations of neutron flux, radioactive capture reaction rates and detection limits for some isotopes. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that is possible to establish the PGAA method at the IPR-R1 reactor, even with some restrictions in its theoretical design calculated by MCNP.