A system for analyzing soil content of a field includes a data acquisition unit configured to detect gamma spectra of each of a plurality of soil samples, wherein a surface area of the field is divided into a plurality of portions and the plurality of soil samples comprises at least one soil sample from each of the plurality of portions, a navigation unit configured to detect geographic coordinates of each of the plurality of soil samples, a data analysis unit configured to associate the detected gamma spectra of each of the plurality of soil samples with the geographic coordinates of the soil sample and determine a weight percent of at least one element within each of the soil samples based on the detected gamma spectra, and an element content map unit configured to generate a map indicating concentration of the at least one element within the soil of the field.

A method for a multielement analysis via neutron activation. The method includes generating fast neutrons with an energy in the range of 10 keV to 20 MeV and moderating the neutrons, irradiating the sample with the neutrons, and measuring the gamma radiation emitted by the irradiated sample using a detector to determine at least one element of the sample. The sample continuously irradiated in a non-pulsed fashion. The measurement is implemented during the irradiation. The determination of the at least one element includes an evaluation of the measured gamma radiation. The sample is subdivided into individual partitions and the measurement is implemented using a collimator. The evaluation includes a spatially resolved and energy-resolved determination of the neutron flux within the respective partition of the sample and calculation of energy-dependent photopeak efficiencies and neutron flux and neutron spectrum within a single partition of the sample by an approximation method.

A system for predicting rare earth elements (REEs) in a feedstock sample includes a measurement instrument that records a measurement for a sample, a processor communicatively coupled to the measuring instrument, and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor and containing machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to correlate the measurement series using a model; and predict a presence of one or more rare earth element based at least in part on the correlation. A method for predicting rare earth elements includes measuring feedstock samples via XRF or PGNAA, to generate a measurements of elements of interest with a lower atomic weight than REEs; correlating the measurements with a model; and predicting a presence of one or more rare earth elements based at least in part on the correlation.

A system for predicting rare earth elements (REEs) in a feedstock sample includes a measurement instrument that records a measurement for a sample, a processor communicatively coupled to the measuring instrument, and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor and containing machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to correlate the measurement series using a model; and predict a presence of one or more rare earth element based at least in part on the correlation. A method for predicting rare earth elements includes measuring feedstock samples via XRF or PGNAA, to generate a measurements of elements of interest with a lower atomic weight than REEs; correlating the measurements with a model; and predicting a presence of one or more rare earth elements based at least in part on the correlation.

A method for joint measuring argon-argon age and cosmic ray exposure age of an extraterrestrial sample is provided. The method for joint measuring determining argon age and cosmic ray exposure age may include: step A, sample packaging; step B, placing the packaged samples into a neutron reactor for irradiation; and step C, determining Ar isotopes of the packaged samples after being performed with a neutron irradiation and thereby calculating argon-argon age and cosmic ray exposure age. The method can overcome the defects of the prior art, and achieve high-precision simultaneous determination of the argon-argon age and the cosmic ray exposure age of samples.

Provided herein are neutron-based detection systems and methods that provide, for example, high throughput analysis of elemental analysis of scrap materials. Such systems and methods find use for the commercial-scale evaluation of bulk process materials where hazardous or otherwise undesirable materials or high value materials may be interspersed with the primary process material. In certain embodiments, the system is used to detect and potentially remove unexploded ordinance (UXO) from a conveyor of demilitarized shell casings being recycled by detecting the presence of nitrogen and other elements present in the UXO. In other embodiments, the system detects and removes unwanted or highly valuable materials from a stream of scrap material.

Methods for determining mineral compositions of materials are described. The methods include obtaining elemental data associated with a geologic sample, calculating a measurement correlation matrix of the geologic sample from the elemental data, calculating an artificial correlation matrix, comparing the measurement correlation matrix and the artificial correlation matrix to determine an error value, minimizing the error value by updating the artificial correlation matrix and comparing the measurement correlation matrix to the updated artificial correlation matrix, and determining a mineral composition of the geologic sample based on the minimized measurement correlation matrix.

Methods for determining mineral compositions of materials are described. The methods include obtaining elemental data associated with a geologic sample, calculating a measurement correlation matrix of the geologic sample from the elemental data, calculating an artificial correlation matrix, comparing the measurement correlation matrix and the artificial correlation matrix to determine an error value, minimizing the error value by updating the artificial correlation matrix and comparing the measurement correlation matrix to the updated artificial correlation matrix, and determining a mineral composition of the geologic sample based on the minimized measurement correlation matrix.

A system and method is provided to determine the moisture content in a sample material undergoing elemental activation analysis (EAA), the sample material containing at least one sample element which during EAA forms an activation product. The method comprises the steps of (i) positioning a reference material in vicinity of the sample material, the reference material containing a reference element having a thermal neutron capture cross-section of at least 1 barn, the reference material selected such that its product isotope of a thermal neutron capture reaction is a radioisotope that emits gamma-rays, (ii) irradiating the sample material and the reference material with a source of fast neutrons to produce thermal neutrons in the sample material and (iii) detecting gamma-rays emitted from the reference material and generating signals representative of the detected gamma-rays, (iv) calculating a factor, R, proportional to the thermal neutron flux based on the generated signals and (v) identifying, from a relationship relating moisture content to R, the moisture content in the sample material.

A system and method is provided to determine the moisture content in a sample material undergoing elemental activation analysis (EAA), the sample material containing at least one sample element which during EAA forms an activation product. The method comprises the steps of (i) positioning a reference material in vicinity of the sample material, the reference material containing a reference element having a thermal neutron capture cross-section of at least 1 barn, the reference material selected such that its product isotope of a thermal neutron capture reaction is a radioisotope that emits gamma-rays, (ii) irradiating the sample material and the reference material with a source of fast neutrons to produce thermal neutrons in the sample material and (iii) detecting gamma-rays emitted from the reference material and generating signals representative of the detected gamma-rays, (iv) calculating a factor, R, proportional to the thermal neutron flux based on the generated signals and (v) identifying, from a relationship relating moisture content to R, the moisture content in the sample material.