Comparison of uranium determination in some Syrian geologic samples using three reactor based methods

A set of 25 samples of soil, sediments, carbonate and phosphate rocks from Syria were analysed for uranium, using three reactor based methods; instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), delayed neutron counting (DNC) and one cycle of irradiation utilizing the cyclic activation system (CAS). Although the three methods are capable of irradiation samples, the last method is the least established for U determination in rocks. The measurements obtained by the three methods are compared. The results show good agreement, with a distinct linear relationship and significant positive correlation coefficients. It was concluded that the CAS method could reliably be used to rapidly determine uranium in geological samples.