Raymond A Sigg

US Patent:

53731638, Dec 13, 1994

Filed:

May 25, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/066235

Inventors:

Raymond A. Sigg - Martinez GA

Assignee:

The United States of America as represented by the United States
Department of Energy - Wasington DC

International Classification:

G01T 116
G01T 700

US Classification:

25037001

Abstract:

A high efficiency radiation detector for measuring X-ray and gamma radiation from small-volume, low-activity liquid samples with an overall uncertainty better than 0. 7% (one sigma SD). The radiation detector includes a hyperpure germanium well detector, a collimator, and a reference source. The well detector monitors gamma radiation emitted by the reference source and a radioactive isotope or isotopes in a sample source. The radiation from the reference source is collimated to avoid attenuation of reference source gamma radiation by the sample. Signals from the well detector are processed and stored, and the stored data is analyzed to determine the radioactive isotope(s) content of the sample. Minor self-attenuation corrections are calculated from chemical composition data.