Fast non-destructive determination of silicon in coal by means of /n,n′ γ/ and /n, γ/ processes

The possibilities were evaluated of nondestructive determination of silicon content in large-scale samples of coal /about 20–50 kg/, based on the spectrometry of prompt -radiation from processes /n, n /, E=1779 keV and /n, /, E=3539 keV and 4935 keV. The neutron sources were either²⁴¹Am–Be or²⁵²Cf located additionally in D₂O moderator. A Ge/Li/ detector was used for -radiation detection. In exposure times of up to 2 h, the detection limits of 1.3% and 0.9% and accuracies of silicon determination of 0.66% and 0.40% have been achieved in case of /n, / and /n, n / processes, respectively.