This research investigated parameters that can affect the use of nanoporous silica gel as a media for accumulating a detectable amount of uranium. The unique fluorescence of the Uranyl (UO22+) ion was used to evaluate the transport kinetics and accumulation within silica gel in a static fluid and under pressure driven flow. The addition of fluid flow decreased the time constant from on the order of an hour to approximately 2s with a very low fluid velocity of 0.36cm/s. The 0.36cm/s fluid velocity was found to be the critical velocity above which there was no gain in time constant. A table top instrument was developed that can detect trace amounts of uranium in solution. The table top instrument was used to investigate how the time constant depends on the uranyl concentration, which led to the development of a new time-based method for quantifying the uranyl concentration. The time-based method of detection uses a preset threshold and, based on the time it takes to reach that threshold, the concentration in the water sample can be determined. The lifetime of uranyl in complex with silica increased to approximately 120us, allowing for gated detection and background discrimination. In addition to the fluorescent contaminants, competing cations were tested to determine how they affect the fluorescence and transport kinetics of the uranyl. The cations tested were Mn2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, and Li+. The result shows that within the natural concentrations, Mg2+, Na+, and K+ did quench the fluorescent of the uranyl ions by collision quenching. The time constant was also examined in the presence of each cation and showed that Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+ decreased the adsorption time constant. Future studies in this area should be directed toward the development of a portable version of the instrument.

<p>Познавање параметара нуклеарне структуре, попут шеме нивоа, функциjе густине стања и функциjе jачине прелаза су неопходне за разумевање<br />нуклеарних особина атомског jезгра. Ове величине су директно повезане са ефикасним пресеком, коjи jе битна физичка величина у нуклеарноj физици, као и теориjски са моделима jезгра. Прикупљање тачних и прецизних података о овим физичким величинама jе jедан од наjважниjих задатака у&nbsp; нискоенергетскоj нуклеарноj физици.У овом раду за одређивање ових величина коришћен jе метод двоструких гама каскада коjи се заснива на&nbsp; коинциденционоj детекциjи гама кваната коjи настаjу након захвата термалних неутрона на jезгрима мете. Циљ експеримента jе детекциjа два узастопна гама кванта коjи се емитуjу када се jезг-ро након захвата неутрона деексцитуjе са енергиjе захвата на основно или неко од нископобуђених стања.Jезгра коjа су испитивана у овом раду су⁹⁴Nb и⁵⁶Mn, а експерименти су извршени на BRR истра-живачком реактору у Будимпешти и FRM II истраживачком реактору на Техничком универзитету у Минхену, у Хаjнц Меjер-Лаjбниц центру, тим редом. Прикупљени експериментални подаци су анализирани и добиjене су информациjе о шеми нивоа и емитованих гама кваната приликом чега jе пронађен велики броj нових гама прелаза унутар ових jезгара (210 за ⁹⁴Nb, 50 за⁵⁶ Mn) , као и нових енергетских нивоа у овим jезгрима (29 за ⁹⁴ Nb, 24 за<br />⁵⁶ Mn). За детектоване каскаде израчунати су и интензитети. Након одређивања интензитета кас-када, за одређивање функциjе густине нивоа и jа-чине прелаза за<br />⁹⁴ Nb и ⁵⁶ Mn коришћен jе практични модел за гама распад неутронских резонанци, развиjен на Обjедињеном институту за нуклеарна истраживања у Дубни, Руска федерациjа. Такође, у овом раду jе одрађена и систематизациjа података за 43 jезгра коjа су раниjе испитивана овом методом и представљени су закључци добиjени овом систематизациjом.</p> / <p>Poznavanje parametara nuklearne strukture, poput šeme nivoa, funkcije gustine stanja i funkcije jačine prelaza su neophodne za razumevanje<br />nuklearnih osobina atomskog jezgra. Ove veličine su direktno povezane sa efikasnim presekom, koji je bitna fizička veličina u nuklearnoj fizici, kao i teorijski sa modelima jezgra. Prikupljanje tačnih i preciznih podataka o ovim fizičkim veličinama je jedan od najvažnijih zadataka u&nbsp; niskoenergetskoj nuklearnoj fizici.U ovom radu za određivanje ovih veličina korišćen je metod dvostrukih gama kaskada koji se zasniva na&nbsp; koincidencionoj detekciji gama kvanata koji nastaju nakon zahvata termalnih neutrona na jezgrima mete. Cilj eksperimenta je detekcija dva uzastopna gama kvanta koji se emituju kada se jezg-ro nakon zahvata neutrona deekscituje sa energije zahvata na osnovno ili neko od niskopobuđenih stanja.Jezgra koja su ispitivana u ovom radu su⁹⁴Nb i⁵⁶Mn, a eksperimenti su izvršeni na BRR istra-živačkom reaktoru u Budimpešti i FRM II istraživačkom reaktoru na Tehničkom univerzitetu u Minhenu, u Hajnc Mejer-Lajbnic centru, tim redom. Prikupljeni eksperimentalni podaci su analizirani i dobijene su informacije o šemi nivoa i emitovanih gama kvanata prilikom čega je pronađen veliki broj novih gama prelaza unutar ovih jezgara (210 za ⁹⁴Nb, 50 za⁵⁶ Mn) , kao i novih energetskih nivoa u ovim jezgrima (29 za ⁹⁴ Nb, 24 za<br />⁵⁶ Mn). Za detektovane kaskade izračunati su i intenziteti. Nakon određivanja intenziteta kas-kada, za određivanje funkcije gustine nivoa i ja-čine prelaza za<br />⁹⁴ Nb i ⁵⁶ Mn korišćen je praktični model za gama raspad neutronskih rezonanci, razvijen na Objedinjenom institutu za nuklearna istraživanja u Dubni, Ruska federacija. Takođe, u ovom radu je odrađena i sistematizacija podataka za 43 jezgra koja su ranije ispitivana ovom metodom i predstavljeni su zaključci dobijeni ovom sistematizacijom.</p> / <p>Knowledge of nuclear parameters, such as level scheme, level density function and radiative strength function is important in order to understand nuclear properties. These parameters are directly related to the value of the cross section, an important quantity in nuclear physics, and also, theoretically to nuclear models. Acquisition of precise and high quality data on these parameters is one of the most important<br />tasks in low-energy nuclear physics. To determine these parameters, in this thesis the method of the two step gamma cascade was used. This method is based on coincidence detection of gamma rays that are emitted after thermal neutron capture&nbsp; on the nucleus. The goal of the experiment is to record two consecutive gamma rays &nbsp; that are emitted as nucleus decays from the capture energy to the ground state<br />or some of the low-excited states.In this work, 94 Nb and 56 Mn nuclei were investigated and the experiments were carried out at the BRR research reactor at the&nbsp; PGAA facility of the Centre for Energy Research (MTA EK), Budapest, Hungary and FRM II research reactor at the Technische Universit&uml;at M&uml;unchen, Heinz Maier- Leibnitz&nbsp; Zentrum (MLZ), Garching, Germany, respectively. Collected data were analyzed and information about level scheme and emitted gamma rays were obtained. The analysis showed that a large number of new gamma transitions, as well as new energy levels (29 for 94 Nb, 24 for 56 Mn) was detected for these nuclei (210 for 94 Nb, 50 for 56 Mn). The intensities were also calculated for all recorded cascades. After calculating the intensities of cascades, to determine the level density function and radiative strength function the practical model of neutron resonances gamma decay developed at JINR, Dubna, Russia, was used. Also, in this thesis, the systematization of results obtained for 43 nuclei previously measured by this method,&nbsp; are presented.</p>

Este trabalho apresenta a medida do espectro de energia dos nêutrons no núcleo do Reator IPEN/MB-01. Para tal, foram inseridos detectores de ativação na forma de diminutas folhas metálicas no núcleo do reator, na região moderadora, utilizando um dispositivo articulado que permite que as folhas fiquem posicionadas na posição central do núcleo do reator, garantindo que todas as folhas sejam irradiadas na mesma posição. Os detectores de ativação foram selecionados de forma a cobrir grande parte do espectro de energia dos nêutrons no Reator, para tanto foram utilizadas folhas de Au197, Mg24, Ti48, In115, Sc45 entre outras. Após a irradiação os detectores de ativação foram submetidos a espectrometria gama num sistema de contagem de Germânio hiper-puro, o que possibilitou a obtenção da atividade de saturação por núcleo alvo, um dos principais dados de entrada do código computacional de desdobramento de espectro unfolding SANDBP, que através de um processo iterativo, ajusta o espectro que melhor se adequa ao conjunto de dados de entrada do código, composto principalmente pelas taxas de reação por núcleo alvo obtidas experimentalmente e um espectro inicial de entrada, neste caso obtido à nível celular pelo código Hammer-Technion para a célula representativa do núcleo do Reator, fornecendo assim a solução do espectro. / This work presents the neutron spectrum measurements in the Reactor IPEN/MB- 01 using very thin activation detectors in the metallic form, in reactor core, in moderator region. An articulated device allows that the foils are inserted in the central position of reactor core, ensuring that all the foils are irradiated in the same position. The activation detectors of different materials such Au197, Mg24, Ti48, In115, Sc45 and others, were selected to cover a large range of neutron spectrum. After the irradiation, the activation detectors were submitted to a spectrometry gamma by using a system of counting with high purity Germanium, to obtain the saturation activity per target nuclide. The saturation activity is one of the main data of input of unfolding code SANDBP, that through an iterative adjustment, modify the spectrum that better agree with the dataset of code input, composition mainly for measure reaction rate per target nuclide and a initial input spectrum, calculated for Hammer-Technion code, supplying a solution spectrum.

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