1964 Paper C

"ACTIVATION ANALYSIS AS APPLIED TO THE PETROLEUM EXPLORATION INDUSTRY"

by

Richard Elliott Wainerdi and Lloyd E. Fite

Activation Analysis Research Laboratory Texas A&M University College Station, Texas

ABSTRACT

Nuclear activation analysis is a procedure for performing qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses by means of measuring and interpreting the results of induced nuclear transmutations. The transmutations may be induced by multi-energetic neutrons, protons, deuterons, tritons, and helions, as well as by high energy gamma photons. The analyst makes use of isotopic data to predict the results of particular nuclear transmutations and to calculate the number of target atoms whose bombardment results in the activity measured.

The two principal methods for measuring the produced activity are radiochemical separates followed by simple counters, and instrumental gamma-ray spectrometry. Generally speaking, radiochemical techniques are based on post-activation radiochemical separations which are employed to separate each induced activity of interest from all other induced activities in a given sample. Radiochemical separations have been developed to a very high degree of selectivity, and some separations are simple, while others are quite complex.

Instrumental activation analysis involves the use of a radiation spectrometer to classify the induced activities on the bases of energy and, with repetitive counting, half life. Gamma-ray spectrometers have become rather widely used for this purpose, and a typical instrumental activation analysis apparatus usually consists of a scintillation detector, a multi-channel pulse height analyzer and some form of data display or readout. Some analytical problems are amenable to solution by simple instrumental systems while some activation analytical problems cannot be economically approached by any instrumental system thus far developed.