Direct Analytical Method to Calculate Photopeak Efficiency and Photopeak Attenuation Coefficient of NaI(Tl) Well-Type Detector

In this paper full-energy peak (photopeak) efficiency and photopeak attenuation coefficient of 3'' × 3'' NaI(Tl) well-type scintillation detector were calculated using gamma-rayisotropic radiating point sources (with photon energy: 0.245, 0.344, 0.662, 0.779, 0.964, 1.1732, 1.333 and 1.408 MeV) placed outside the detector well. These energies were obtained from 152Eu, 137Cs and 60Co. The relations between the full energy peak efficiency and photopeak attenuation coefficients, were plotted vs. photon energy at different sources to detector distance, and it found that the full energy peak efficiency decreased by increasing the distance between the source and the detector.

Verification of modified sum-peak method in Monte Carlo simulation of full energy peak and sum-peak efficiencies of a HPGe detector

The modified sum-peak method estimates radioactivity by using only the peak and the sum-peak count rates.To verify the modified sum-peak method,the dependence of the full energy peak efficiency on the source-to-detector distance in a high-purity germanium detector system was studied using a Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation.The effect of the deadlayer in the germanium crystal was estimated by reference to experiments on 241 Am and the relative efficiency of the detector.The peak efficiency dependence on the source-to-detector distance was compared between the simulation and measurements.The modified sum-peak method is discussed with respect to these peak efficiencies.

Gamma Spectrometry of Inhomogeneous Samples Using Peak-Ratio Method

In gamma spectrometry of voluminous samples, inhomogeneous distribution of radioactivity caused by the presence of hot particles can create significant Bias in the results of activity determinations. We developed a novel method to reduce this Bias using the gamma-peak ratio. We show that the peak area ratio of two gamma peaks of different energies, emitted by the same radionuclide, is a sensitive measure of emitting source location and thus the inhomogeneity. A new calibration formula was then derived for true gamma efficiency pi as a function of efficiency ratio pi/pj of two peaks. This approach was verified by Monte Carlo simulations for a sample of 1-L volume containing from 1 up to 2048 of hot particles randomly distributed in a soil matrix. A 152Eu radionuclide was selected for calculations and we used various combinations of two gamma spectral peaks selected from three gamma energies of 121.8, 344.3, and 1408.0 keV. This new method is shown to reduce the Bias range and Bias standard deviation by several times when compared with the traditional homogeneous calibration applied to measuring hot particles. The method is independent of the number, location, and distribution of hot particles in the samples, and can be applied to a mixture of radionuclides. It complements our previous calibration model based on the peak-to-total ratio.

Monte Carlo Simulation Study of Hot-Particle Detection in Voluminous Samples by Gamma Spectrometry

In this work, we addressed the inhomogeneity problem in gamma spectrometry caused by hot particles, which are dispersed into environment from large nuclear reactor accidents such as at Chernobyl and Fukushima. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we have determined the response of a gamma spectrometer to individual and grouped hot particles randomly distributed in a soil matrix of 1-L and 0.6-L sample containers. By exploring the fact that the peak-to-total ratio of efficiencies in gamma spectrometry is an empirical parameter, we derived and verified a power-law relationship between the peak efficiency and peak-to-total ratio. This enabled creation of a novel calibration model which was demonstrated to reduce the bias range and bias standard deviation, caused by measuring hot particles, by several times, as compared with the homogeneous calibration. The new model is independent of the number, location, and distribution of hot particles in the samples. In this work, we demonstrated successful performance of the model for a single-peak 137Cs radionuclide. An extension to multi-peak radionuclide was also derived.

Stability management of high speed axial flow compressor stage through axial extensions of bend skewed casing treatment

This paper presents the experimental results to understand the performance of moderately loaded high speed single stage transonic axial flow compressor subjected to various configurations of axial extensions of bend skewed casing treatment with moderate porosity.The bend skewed casing treatment of 33%porosity was coupled with rectangular plenum chamber of depth equal to the slots depth.The five axial extensions of 20%,40%,60%,80%and 100%were used for the experimental evaluations of compressor performance.The main objective was to identify the optimum extension of the casing treatment with reference to rotor leading edge which results in maximum stall margin improvements with minimum loss in the stage efficiency.At each axial extension the compressor performance is distinctive.The improvement in the stall margin was very significant at some axial extensions with 4%–5%penalty in the stage efficiency.The compressors stage shows recovery in terms of efficiency at lower axial extensions of 20%and 40%with increase in the peak stage efficiency.Measurements of flow parameters showed the typical behaviors at near stall flow conditions.Hot wire sensor was placed at the rotor upstream in the tip region to capture the oscillations in the inlet axial and tangential velocities at stall conditions.In the absence of casing treatment the compressor exhibit abrupt stall with very high oscillations in the inlet axial and tangential velocity of the flow.The extents of oscillations reduce with bend skewed casing treatment.Few measurements were also performed in the plenum chamber and salient results are presented in this paper.