Patent ID: 9678024
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: G01N

Claim:
1. A non-intrusive method of analyzing the chemical makeup of a target hydrogenous material sample in a voxel, the method comprising the steps of: (a) illuminating the target hydrogenous material sample in the voxel with a photon beam, wherein the energy of at least some photons in the photon beam is greater than 2.23 MeV; (b) measuring a number of 2.223 MeV photons produced by neutron capture and emitted from the target hydrogenous material sample in the voxel in a given measurement direction in a first energy range that contains the energy corresponding to neutron capture by hydrogen; (c) measuring a number of Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence (NRF) produced photons emitted from the target hydrogenous material sample the voxel in the given measurement direction in a second energy range; (d) determining the intensity of the 2.223 MeV photons produced by neutron capture in the target hydrogenous material sample in the voxel; (e) determining which isotopes are present in the target hydrogenous material sample in the voxel based on the number of NRF produced photons; (f) determining the intensities of the NRF produced photons; (g) determining the ratio of the abundances of the isotopes in the voxel from the intensities of the of the NRF produced photons; (h) determining the ratios of the hydrogen content in the voxel to the content of the isotopes of the target hydrogenous material sample in the voxel; and (i) determining the elemental composition of the target hydrogenous material sample in the voxel.