Study on prompt gamma-ray spectrometer using Compton suppression system

The performance of the prompt gamma-ray activation analysis (PGAA) facility was improved by a series of modifications to the making composition of a Compton suppression system at HANARO, the 24 MW research reactor in the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. An adjustment of the crystal was made by various efforts to obtain most suitable condition for the diffracted beam, the neutron flux was increased by 20% at the sample position to 8.4 × 107 n cm−2 s−1, and the Compton suppression ratio was 4.3-5 times below the Compton continuum region that appeared near the sample of interest such as boron. The PGAA facility at the HANARO research reactor serves as a major analytical tool for quantifying light elements in biological, geological and food samples. The sensitivity of boron is 1468 cps/mg which is obtained from the slope of the boron peak count rate versus the boron mass. For the low background conditions, a supplement to the shielding materials on the detection assembly was made and the path of the beam line reduced the background count rate, which was evaluated from the boron data using the Compton- and single-mode. From this Compton suppressed gamma-ray spectrometer, we obtained high quality spectroscopic data from thermal neutron capture.