[ RadSafe ] Soil gamma spec

[Mora Cañadas Juan Carlos]

Please, it is necessary, in order to give an answer, to know at least the resolution of your instrument.

What kind of detector are you using?

If you are using Sodium Iodide, may be your resolution is too big and the 186 keV peak could interfere in lower energies.

If you are using an HP-Ge the answer is no. When using electric coolers, instead of N2, the resolution is somehow degraded at low temperatures, but not so much as 100 keV.

Anyway, you always should know which are the possible sources of contamination. Is it possible in your installation to find Am-241? Was there a previous contamination with any calibration standard in your sample?

Also interferences in that energy could be produced by Ac-228 and Pa-234, that you surely observe in your samples.

Juan Carlos Mora Cañadas
CIEMAT


-----Mensaje original-----
De: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl en nombre de Ross Beveridge
Enviado el: mar 29/07/2008 5:41
Para: radsafe at radlab.nl
Asunto: [ RadSafe ] Soil gamma spec
 
A decom project with minimal (no) history of likely contaminants.
 
Some recent soil spec results show the presence of americium.  
Could soft X rays from radium be misinterpreted as an americium peak by the
gamma spec?
 
Any input/advice etc. would be gratefully appreciated.
 
 
Rgds
Ross
 
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