Feasibility of elemental analysis of kilogram-size samples by instrumental neutron activation analysis

A method is presented that was neutron activation analysis for nondestructive multielement determinations in kilogram-size samples. Algorithms for correction of the neutron self-shielding and the ¿-ray self-attenuation have been developed. These corrections do not require any a priori knowledge of the sample composition. The feasibility of the method has been validated by analyzing different 1-2-kg samples and comparing the results with those obtained from conventional small sample analyses of the same materials. Good agreement was observed. An outlook for future applications of kilogram-size sample analysis is given.