title: Improving the sensitivity and accuracy of gamma activation analysis for the rapid determination of gold in mineral ores.
abstract: Mining companies rely on chemical analysis methods to determine concentrations of gold in mineral ore samples. As gold is often mined commercially at concentrations around 1 part-per-million, it is necessary for any analysis method to provide good sensitivity as well as high absolute accuracy. We describe work to improve both the sensitivity and accuracy of the gamma activation analysis (GAA) method for gold. We present analysis results for several suites of ore samples and discuss the design of a GAA facility designed to replace conventional chemical assay in industrial applications.
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia. Electronic address: james.tickner@csiro.au.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tickner
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia; University of New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Brianna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ganly
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia.
authors.forename: Bojan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lovric
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Dwyer
keywords: Gamma activation analysis; Gold; Isomer; Photon activation analysis