Radioanalytical Facility

ANSTO’s radioanalytical facilities are recognised internationally and have extensive experience in the measurement of radioactivity in many different matrices, including uranium mill samples, copper concentrates, smelter by-products (dust, slag), mineral sands (monazite, zircon, ilmenite and rutile), rare earth process streams and concentrates, aluminium and phosphate processing and products, and process scales (oil/gas, water treatment).

Our key radioanalytical facilities include:

• Gamma Spectrometry – The activities of 235U and decay progeny in the 238U, 235U and 232Th decay chains are determined by gamma spectrometry using methods developed in-house for matrix correction.
• Ac-227 (rare earth processing) is determined from its gamma-emitting daughter, 227Th.
• Parent 238U and 232Th and 210Po are all alpha emitters and are determined by other radioanalytical techniques.
• Delayed Neutron Activation Analysis (DNAA) and Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) – Parent 238U and 232Th concentrations are measured by DNAA and NAA, respectively. Both are selective and sensitive nuclear techniques and are the most accurate methods for determining these elements at ppm levels.
• Alpha Spectrometry – Po-210 only emits alpha particles and must be measured using alpha spectrometry. Po-210 is selectively extracted prior to source preparation and alpha counting. Typical detection limits are mBq levels.