Determination of 63Ni activity in NPP construction materials

Abstract

The γ-spectra were measured of the structural materials of the 2nd unit of the Chornobyl NPP which were irradiated by bremsstrahlung with end-point energy 37 MeV. Using the ratio of the 57Co and 58Co activities, the nickel and cobalt masses ratio was determined. Using the obtained data and the measured 60Co activity in the studied samples, a method for determining of the 63Ni activity was developed. Radiochemical validation of the created method was performed and good quantitative agreement of 63Ni activities obtained by spectroscopic and radiochemical methods was obtained.

Keywords

• flux-weighted average yields
• photoactivation method
• γ-spectrometry
• nickel
• cobalt.