Numerical simulation of the PGNA signal from chlorine diffusion gradients in concrete

Richard A Livingston; Mohamad Al-Sheikhly; Ali B Mohamed

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.01.029

Numerical simulation of the PGNA signal from chlorine diffusion gradients in concrete

Appl Radiat Isot. 2010 Apr-May;68(4-5):679-82. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.01.029. Epub 2010 Jan 18.

Authors

Richard A Livingston¹, Mohamad Al-Sheikhly, Ali B Mohamed

Affiliation

¹ Graduate Program in Nuclear Engineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. rliving1@umd.edu

PMID: 20149672
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.01.029

Abstract

A nondestructive test method for detecting chlorides in concrete has been developed based on prompt gamma neutron activation (PGNA). Its performance has been modeled using a hybrid MCNP/optical ray tracing approach. Since the chlorides often come from de-icing salts applied to the concrete surface, the Cl concentration has a non-linear depth profile which is typically modeled by the erfc function. The signals from this distribution have been simulated for several significant Cl capture peaks to estimate the erfc function parameters.

MeSH terms

Chlorine / analysis*
Chlorine / chemistry*
Computer Simulation
Construction Materials / analysis*
Diffusion
Models, Chemical*
Neutron Activation Analysis / methods*

Substances

Chlorine