Model S508

Multigroup Analysis
(MGA)
V10.0 9230933F User’s Manual
Copyright 2008, Canberra Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................1

2. INSTALLATION............................................................................................2

3. OPERATION ..................................................................................................3

NOTES AND RESTRICTIONS .................................................................................................... 3

INTERACTIVE USE OF MGA ................................................................................................... 7
Pu-242 Calculation Algorithm.......................................................................................... 8
Select Detector Types........................................................................................................ 9
Low Energy Spectral Data.............................................................................................. 10
High Energy Spectral Data............................................................................................. 11
Check Boxes .................................................................................................................... 11
Buttons ............................................................................................................................ 11
Parameters for Expert Users .......................................................................................... 13
BATCH USE OF MGA........................................................................................................... 15
Command Syntax............................................................................................................. 15
Qualifiers ........................................................................................................................ 15

A. MGA INPUT PARAMETERS ...................................................................18

B. MGA OUTPUT PARAMETERS ...............................................................21

COMMON PARAMETERS ....................................................................................................... 21

RECORD PARAMETERS ......................................................................................................... 24

C. MGA REPORT OUTPUT EXAMPLE .....................................................26

D. MGA ERROR/WARNING MESSAGES ..................................................29

E. USING REGEDIT TO SET ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES................36

F. PU-242 ALGORITHMS ..............................................................................38

G. LISTING OF AVAILABLE EXAMPLE SPECTRA ..............................40

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 Notes

ii
1. Introduction

This document describes how to install and operate Multigroup Analysis (MGA)
application in the Genie-2000 environment. One other document by the author of this
software is available from Canberra on request.1
The MGA application analyzes the Ge spectra of plutonium samples, and reports the
relative abundances of the plutonium isotopes and other actinides in the sample. Normal
gamma spectroscopy analysis requires a spectrum to be energy and efficiency calibrated
before analysis, and sequentially calls several analysis “engines” to perform the analysis.
MGA only requires that the spectra be energy calibrated, and it performs its entire
analysis in one step.
The MGA application has three operating modes: single low energy detector mode,
single high energy detector mode, and two detector mode (where two detectors measure
separate spectra of the same sample). 1

1
Gunnink, R. (1990). MGA: A Gamma-Ray Spectrum Analysis Code for Determining Plutonium Abundances.
Report UCRL-LR-103220, Volume 1: Methods and Algorithms. Livermore, California: Lawrence Livermore
Nation Laboratory.

1
2. Installation

To install MGA on your computer, open a DOS Prompt window, put the installation disk
in the CD drive and type:
x:\ setup
where “x” is the drive designator.
Alternatively, launch Windows Explorer, navigate to the CD drive, then double click on
SETUP.EXE.

2
3. Operation

MGA analysis can be performed interactively via the Genie 2000 Gamma Acquisition
and Analysis program or in batch mode via the MGA batch command. In version 10, an
additional standalone mode has been made available in which interactive graphical
displays are available. The interactive mode of operation is described on page 7, the
normal batch mode operation on page 15, and the graphical batch mode in a separate
document 2.
When using MGA interactively, an MGA report can be generated automatically if the
“Generate Report” checkbox, described on page 11, is checked.
In normal batch mode, the report is generated via the REPORT command using template
file MGA.TPL, report section MGA. The REPORT command is described fully in the
“Batch Procedure Reference” chapter in the Model S561 Batch Tools Support Reference
Manual. A summary of the command is presented in the section “Batch Use of MGA”
below.
For example, to print an MGA report for the file MGADATA.CNF, a typical batch
command would look like this:
REPORT D:\GENIE2K\CAMFILES\MGADATA.CNF
/TEMPLATE=\GENIE2K\CTLFILES\MGA.TPL /SECTION=MGA /NEWFILE
/FIRSTPG /PRINT

Note that you must enter the full paths for the files.

Notes and Restrictions

• The MGA program for Genie-2000 requires that the Model S500, Model S502, or
Model 504 Genie-2000 Basic Spectroscopy software be already installed on your
computer.
• If the datasource(s) have not been initialized for MGA parameters, the defaults
(shown in Appendix A, MGA Input Parameters) are assumed. Otherwise, the
parameter values in the datasources are used.
• The spectrum must contain at least 4096 ("4K") channels. Other restrictions on the
number of channels are described below.
• The energy calibration gain setting in the single low energy detector mode using 4K
spectra should be approximately 0.075 keV/channel. In the two detector mode, the
low energy spectrum gain setting must be approximately 0.075 keV/channel, and the
high energy spectrum gain setting must be approximately 0.25 keV/channel. In the
single high energy only mode using 4K spectra, the gain setting must also be about
0.25 keV/channel. For both spectra, some deviation from the recommended gain

2
Gunnink R., (2008). A guide to using MGA PC Version 10.

3
 settings will not adversely affect the mathematical algorithms. However, large
deviations from the nominal values may cause unpredictable results.
For larger spectra (8K or 16K), the Genie-2000 energy calibration is used.
• To ensure that the analysis algorithms work correctly when MGA is analyzing the
low energy plutonium spectrum, the 59 keV and 208 keV peaks (emitted by all
plutonium samples) should be present. If the 59 keV peak is missing, the program
automatically attempts to find a 129 keV line to use in the calculations. If the
129 keV and 208 keV lines are “not found” (i.e., do not exceed the uncertainty
threshold), the low energy spectrum cannot be analyzed in the normal mode and the
“Waste or Unusual Spectra Applications” option described below has to be used. If
the marker peaks of the low energy spectrum are not found and the program is
operated in a two detector mode, no analysis results are produced for either spectrum.
• When MGA is analyzing the high energy plutonium spectrum, the 208 keV and
414 keV peaks (emitted by all plutonium samples) must both be present. If either line
is “missing” (i.e. does not exceed its uncertainty threshold), the high energy spectrum
cannot be analyzed. In the single high energy only mode, no results will be produced
at all. In the two detector mode, MGA analyzes only the low energy spectrum, and
exits with an error code indicating that the high energy spectrum could not be
analyzed because the key line was missing.
• Selecting the “Waste or Unusual Spectra Applications” mode will reduce or change
some of the requirements made in the code when testing various characteristics of the
spectrum or the results that are being generated. This may allow poor and unusual
spectra (e.g. samples with high Pu-238, high Pu-240, or high Am-241 content) to be
analyzed but the results may be more questionable. Note that entering an approximate
detector volume is an essential requirement when using this option. This is sometimes
needed to delineate a more accurate efficiency curve when the spectral data is quite
poor or missing.
• The “Unusual Isotopics” check-box should be selected if one or more of the Pu
isotopes cannot be detected in the spectra. This will set the Spectrum Detection Limit
value to 99%, which essentially indicates to MGA that one or more isotopes are
probably missing in the spectrum, e.g. when analyzing very high Pu-238 abundance
or other “isotopic” pure samples.
• The MGA application is designed to analyze only 4K channel spectra when operating
in the two detector mode (both spectra must be 4K). In the single low energy detector
mode, the sole spectrum can be 4K, 8K or 16K (only the lower 8K channels of a 16K
spectrum are analyzed). If the first spectrum is 8K or 16K and a second spectrum is
also provided, the program analyzes the first spectrum normally, but exits with a
return code indicating that the second spectrum was ignored.
• The best plutonium isotopic results are obtained when the low-energy spectrum of a
high-resolution germanium detector is analyzed. However, occasionally only a good
high-energy (200-1000 keV) spectrum is available either because a small, high-
resolution planar detector is not available, or the sample is stored in container that is
lead lined or has other highly absorbing characteristics. The “High Energy Spectrum

4
 Only” option can be used to obtain isotopic results from the coax detector spectrum.
The recommended gain is 0.25 keV/channel for a 4K channel spectrum and
0.125 keV/channel for an 8K spectrum. This mode requires that the U-237 in the
sample must be in activity equilibrium with the Pu-241. Poor results will also be
obtained when the Am-241 content becomes high. Because the high energy gamma
rays are considerably weaker than the lower-energy ones, a substantially longer
counting time should also be used.
• MOX samples can usually be treated as normal plutonium oxide samples. In the one-
spectrum mode, the U-235 abundance, relative to total plutonium, will automatically
be determined by analyzing the 186 keV peak. The U/Pu abundance ratio will also be
calculated. This ratio is determined by comparing the measured intensities of the
internally flourescenced Kα X-ray peaks of U and Pu in the 100 keV region. If the
U/Pu ratio is very high, the Pu X-rays may no longer be detectable. Instead, the code
will attempt to detect the 92-93 keV peaks of U-238 and then report a U/Pu
abundance based on the measurement of these peaks. If a second (coax) spectrum of a
MOX sample is taken, it can be analyzed concurrently with the low-energy spectrum
using the two-detector mode of analysis. Since the second spectrum should be taken
at a gain of about 0.25 keV per channel, the best peak due to U-238, at 1001 keV, is
accessible for analysis. When this peak is detected, MGA will also report the
abundance of U-238 in the sample, relative to total plutonium.
• MGA calculates the sample specific power, P , using the following formula:

P = ∑ 0.01 ⋅ SPi ⋅ wt % i
i

where i = Pu - 238, Pu - 239, Pu - 240, Pu - 241, Pu - 242, and Am - 241

SPi = specific power for the i - th isotope (see Table 1)
wt%i = weight percent of the i - th isotope at the declared date
Table 1 Specific power values for the plutonium isotopes used by MGA 3
Radionuclide Specific Power, mW/g
Pu-238 567.57
Pu-239 1.9288
Pu-240 7.0824
Pu-241 3.412
Pu-242 0.1159
Am-241 114.2

The sample specific power is used to interpret calorimetry results. The sample
specific power uncertainty is calculated taking into account the covariance

3
The values are taken from ANSI N15.22-1987

5
 dependency of the normalized abundances following the procedure described
elsewhere 4.
• A telescope configuration (where the low energy detector is inside the high energy
detector) for the two detector mode is not automatically detected. However, a setup
parameter (ACQDETDEPTH, see Appendix A, MGA Input Parameters) to indicate a
telescope configuration is provided.
• If the spectrum file (datasource) being analyzed contains previous analysis results
from a general purpose Gamma Analysis and Acquisition (peak search and nuclide
identification results), MGA does not overwrite them. However, any previous MGA
results are automatically overwritten without warning.
• The standard batch and interactive versions of MGA support only the file formats
supported by the basic Genie spectroscopy program. No graphic output of the fits to
the screen is supported. The standalone graphical version, however, supports some
other file formats as well and provides graphic output to the screen. It cannot be used,
however, in the Genie 2000 analysis sequence structure.
• MGA predicts FWHM at a given energy using the equation
FWHM = A + B ⋅ E
where E = the peak energy (keV)
A and B = shape calibration constants
The shape constants A and B are determined by measuring the peak width of two
well-resolved peaks in the spectrum. The two resulting equations are solved to
determine values for A and B. These values are then used to determine FWHM values
for the peaks in the 100 keV region. Usually the 59 and 208 keV peaks are used
(129 and 148 keV may also be used under certain conditions). For statistically poor
spectra the code is using the default values that are determined based on the detector
volume:
A = 0.03 + 0.008 ⋅ detector volume
B = 0.0017 + 0.000018 ⋅ detector volume
For large volume detectors, this default calibration may not be very accurate and may
lead to improper functioning of MGA. If the environment variable
MGA_USEGENIEFWHM is defined, the Genie 2000 FWHM calibration parameters
will be used as the initial calibration (taking into account the differences in the forms
of the MGA and Genie 2000 shape calibration equations). The easiest way of defining
the environment variable is to use REGEDIT to create the value in:
HKEY _LOCAL _MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Canberra Industries, Inc.\Genie-2000 Environment.
For a high energy detector, MGA uses the values 0.4 and 0.00195 for A and B,
respectively. If the environment variable is defined, the Genie FHWM calibration will
be substituted for these values as well. See Appendix E.

4
T.E. Sampson, R. Gunnink, The propagation of errors in the measurement of plutonium isotopic composition by
gamma-ray spectroscopy, JNMM, Vol. XII, issue 2, (1983).

6
• During the operation of MGA, a temporary file, MGAINFO.TMP, is created. By
default, this file is created in the default directory. In some cases, this may be
inconvenient (when the default directory is the system root, MGAINFO.TMP will
appear on the Windows desktop). The environment variable MGA_TMPDIR can be
used to explicitly specify the directory to be used; the directory name must not
include a trailing backslash (for example, “D:\Temp” is acceptable; "D:\Temp\" is not
acceptable). As described in the previous point, the easiest way to define this variable
is to use REGEDIT to place it in the Genie-2000 Environment. See Appendix E.
• Several parameters described below are NOT transferred from an Analysis Sequence
File (ASF). They are enabled, therefore, only when you are editing the actual data file
to be analyzed. They are disabled when you are editing an ASF. To set their value in
the batch mode, you can edit the data file and set the values there. Then the analysis
will use the existing values in the file. Alternatively, you can use the PARS utility to
set the values from the Command Window.

Interactive Use of MGA

MGA can be selected from the Analyze menu item in the Gamma Acquisition and
Analysis window. To use MGA from within the Gamma Acquisition and Analysis
window:
1. Open a datasource.
2. Select Analyze from the Gamma Acquisition and Analysis’ menu bar to see the
list of analysis phases.
3. Select MGA from the MGA/MGA menu item. You’ll see the setup screen in
Figure 1.

7
 Figure 1 MGA Analysis Setup Dialog
When all of the parameters discussed on the following pages have been set, press the
Execute button to start the analysis.

Note: some of the parameters discussed below have limits (which are described). In many
cases, if you enter a value that exceeds the limits, the default value (also listed) will be
used during the calculation. This default value, however, may not be reflected in the user
interface.

Pu-242 Calculation Algorithm

Pu-242 cannot be directly measured except in isotopic abundances in excess of 50% (see
Appendix F). Therefore, several options are available for treating this problem. This
group of parameters allows you to choose the algorithm you wish to use to calculate Pu-
242.
Declared
Use this option to specify the value of the Pu-242 abundance to be used by the software.
Values must be less than 50 %.

8
 “New” (Default Coefficients)
This algorithm is used when the declared value is zero and when all of the values in the
coefficient entry dialog described below are zero. The equations are given in Appendix F
below.
Default Internal (“Setup”)
This option is possible if the declared value is zero. With this option you can specify the
coefficients to be used in the equation to calculate the Pu-242 abundance. Click on the
button labeled “Coef...” to display a dialog shown in Figure 2 that lets you enter the
coefficients. The use of the coefficients is indicated in the equations in Appendix F. Note
that these coefficients are NOT transferred from an Analysis Sequence File (ASF). The
button to activate the dialog, therefore, is enabled only when you are editing the actual
data file to be analyzed. It is disabled when you are editing an ASF.

Figure 2 Pu242 Equation Coefficients Dialog

The form of the equation is either the ratio form or the % abundance form. Based on the
coefficients that you supply, the software chooses the correct form. The equations are
given in Appendix F below.
Remember that the coefficients are NOT transferred from an Analysis Sequence File
(ASF) to the data file during an analysis using an ASF. You can, however, store them
prior to running the ASF.

Select Detector Types

MGA can analyze a low energy spectrum only, both a low energy spectrum and a high
energy spectrum, or a high energy spectrum only.
• Low Energy Spectrum Only
This check-box must be checked to analyze a spectrum in the single low energy only
mode. The spectrum is the currently selected datasource.

9
 • Both Low Energy and High Energy Spectra
This check-box must be checked if a dual system is used. When used, the name of the
high energy file (with the entire path name) must be entered in the appropriate box.
• High Energy Spectrum Only
This check-box must be checked to analyze a spectrum in the single high energy only
mode. The spectrum is the currently selected datasource.

Low Energy Spectral Data

This group of parameters allows you to specify the information used in the analysis of the
low energy spectrum. Access to these parameters will not be enabled unless you have
selected either the “Low Energy Spectrum Only” radio button or the “Both Low Energy
and High Energy Spectra” radio button.
• Detector volume [cc]
This parameter is used to calculate an initial estimate of the detector efficiency. It is
especially important when you specify that the spectrum is of the “Waste or Unusual”
type (see below). If no value is entered, a default value of 5 cc is used. The minimum
acceptable value is 5 cc. The maximum is 20. If you enter a value less than the minimum,
the minimum is used. If you enter a value greater than the maximum, the maximum value
will be used. Note that these values differ from the standalone version.
• Spectrum Detection Limit [%]
This allows the user to specify the detection limit criterion (i.e. the maximum
uncertainty percent) of the 129 and 208 keV peaks. The default value for normal
spectra is 30. In the case of waste or unusual isotopics spectra. The default is set at
99%. The maximum is 99% for all spectral types. The minimum is 0. If the entered
value is less than or equal to zero, the default is used. If the entered value is greater
than the maximum, the maximum value is used.

• Minimum Counts
The minimum number of counts required to allow analysis. The default value is
20,000. The number must be greater than 0 and less than or equal to 2147483583. If
the entered value is less than the minimum or greater than the maximum, the default
is used.

The Spectrum Detection Limit and Minimum Counts may be adjusted manually in the
normal mode to handle the case of a spectrum from a waste situation, or one that has poor
statistics or is missing an isotope of Pu. However, in this case it is recommended to use
the “Waste or Unusual Spectra Applications” option, as this will change some additional
parameters within the code that are not reflected in the user interface.

10
 High Energy Spectral Data
This group of parameters allows you to specify the information used in the analysis of the
high energy spectrum. Access to these parameters will not be enabled unless you have
selected either the “Both Low Energy and High Energy Spectra” radio button or the
“High Energy Spectrum Only” radio button.
• Spectrum Detection Limit [%]
This allows the user to specify the detection limit criterion (i.e. the maximum
uncertainty percent) of the 208 and 414 keV peaks. The default value is 10, the
maximum is 40. If the maximum is exceeded, the default is used.

• Spectral File
This is where you specify the full path to the file to be used for the high energy part of the
analysis. This information is ignored unless you have selected one of the radio buttons
that enables high energy file analysis. You can use the “Select...” button to search for
files.

Check Boxes
• Waste or Unusual Spectra Applications
MGA contains special code to handle samples from waste management situations.
Typically these samples have poor statistics. Note that in this situation, it is important to
enter an accurate value for the detector volume, as discussed above. Also, the
recommended values for the Default Detector Limit and the Minimum Counts differ from
those used in the analysis of normal spectra.
• Unusual Isotopics
When spectra have low counting statistics or are missing an isotope, the values of the
Default Detector Limit and the Minimum Counts parameters should be adjusted as
described above. Checking this box will cause the software to enter the recommended
values. You can change them, but the software will warn you that you have deviated from
those values.
• Ignore MGA Error Warnings
This flag is intended to be used in analysis sequences. If checked, an analysis sequence
will continue with the next step in the sequence even if the MGA analysis ends in an
error.
• Generate Report
Check this box to obtain the default report on the screen.

Buttons
• OK

11
If you click on this button, all of the information in the dialog is stored in the active
temporary memory associated with the current file, and the dialog is closed. If you open
the setup dialog again, the information will be re-loaded, reflecting any changes you have
made. These data will be used in any analysis performed while the file is opened. They
will not, however, be transferred to the permanent file unless you explicitly save them
using the main Genie 2000 menus or buttons.
• Cancel
If you click on this button, the dialog will be closed, and any changes that you have made
will be lost.
• Advanced...
If you click on this button, the software will display a dialog shown in Figure 3 that
allows you to enter information about certain parameters that ordinarily need not be
adjusted (described below). In fact, it is recommended that you do not change these
unless you are very familiar with the behavior of the software. The software itself will
detect most of the conditions indicated by these parameter settings. Their use applies only
to unusual cases.

Figure 3 Parameters for Expert Users dialog

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 Parameters for Expert Users

Sample parameters
The following parameters can be modified in Figure 3 above:
• Freshly Separated Am-241
Recently processed Pu samples are usually low in U-237 and Am-241. The U-237
increases in activity for about two months. By that time, it reaches equilibrium with the
alpha-decay rate of its Pu-241 parent. MGA assumes that the equilibrium condition exists
unless this check box is checked. Usually, even if the sample is not in equilibrium, MGA
will detect that situation also. It is only if the sample is only a few percent from attaining
a true U-237 to Pu-241 activity equilibrium that the code may not be able to detect the
state. In this case, one may be able to get a slightly better answer by activating this check
box.
• Uranium Present in Sample
This flag indicates to the software that a small amount of U is present, e.g. in a MOX
sample. The use of this check-box is optional. In most situations, the program detects this
condition automatically.
• Steel Container Thickness [mm]
If statistics are poor and the program has problems converging on a solution, it may help
to enter the thickness of the steel container in mm. Normally, this value is determined
directly from the data. Note that this parameter is NOT transferred from an Analysis
Sequence File (ASF). It, therefore, is enabled only when you are editing the actual data
file to be analyzed. It is disabled when you are editing an ASF. The maximum value for
this is 20 mm. If you enter a number greater than 20, the default value (0 mm) is used.

Low Energy Detector Absorption Features

There are often certain aspects of samples measured for MGA that results in the
absorption of radiation. Usually MGA can account for them, but in some cases it may be
beneficial to explicitly state them.
• Fix Cd Absorber Thickness
Often a Cd absorber is introduced to reduce the size of the 59 keV peak and reduce the
total count rate. Normally the Cd absorber thickness is determined from the data. With
poor statistics, however, the program may have difficulty making that determination. In
that case, if the Cd absorber thickness is known, enabling this option usually helps the
calculations. This option tells the software to use the value stored in the field labeled “Cd
Thickness Value.”
• Cd Thickness Value [mm]
This value should normally be 0. That is, in the normal operation of MGA, the
approximate thickness of the Cd filter used to attenuate the intense 59 keV peak is
determined by MGA from the spectral data in the low energy detector. There are some

13
specific applications, however, where it is either desirable or necessary to use a fixed
value. One example is the case of poor statistics.
If the “Fix Cd Thickness” box is not checked, the field that contains the value will be
disabled, and its contents will be ignored.
The units are mm.
• Fix Pu Thickness
For situations when the plutonium material is not infinitely thick, the calculations may
have trouble determining the amount of self-attenuation caused by the plutonium in the
sample, particularly if the spectrum statistics are poor. Checking this check box permits
fixing the plutonium thickness to a known value to assist the calculations. Normally this
is not necessary, but it may be useful in spectra with poor statistics.
• Pu Thickness Value [mm]
This value should normally be 0. (If the “Fix Pu Thickness” box is not checked, the field
that contains the value will be disabled, and its value will be ignored.) If it is 0 (or if the
“Fix Pu Thickness” box is not checked), MGA determines the approximate Pu thickness
of the sample. But if, for example, it is known that the samples will always be large (e.g.
1 Kg), the Pu thickness could be set to 5.0, which is the saturation thickness. The Pu
appears to be infinitely thick.
The units are mm.

High Energy Detector Absorption Features

• Cd Absorber Thickness [mm]

This is the approximate Cd thickness in front of the coaxial (high energy) detector. The
units are mm.
Please note that this is one of the parameters that is not transferred when using an ASF.
The field, therefore, is disabled when you are editing the setup in an ASF. Any non-zero
value in this field will result in the software treating this as a fixed parameter, like the
Low Energy Detector case described above. The maximum value is 5 mm. If you enter a
value greater than that, the default value (1 mm) is used.

• Pb Absorber Thickness [mm]

This is the thickness of the Pb absorber in front of the coax (high energy) detector. If it is
not specified, the code will calculate an approximate thickness based on the intensities of
several peaks in the second spectrum. A value should be used when analyzing spectra
with poor statistics. The units are mm.
Please note that this is one of the parameters that is not transferred when using an ASF.
The field, therefore, is disabled when you are editing the setup in an ASF. Any non-zero
value in this field will result in the software treating this as a fixed parameter, like the
Low Energy Detector case described above.

14
 Batch Use of MGA

The following syntax is used for the MGA batch command

Command Syntax

MGA <low energy datasource> [<high energy datasource>] [/Qualifiers]

The <low energy datasource> name is required. The paths to the datasource must include
the folder names.

Qualifiers

The following qualifiers allow you to supply information that would be supplied by many
of the interactive interface. The full set of parameters is described in Appendix A. You
can use the PARS utility to set the values for any parameters not accessible through the
qualifiers. For more detail, see the discussion above.

NOTE: it is important to remember that in batch mode, in a given file, any parameter not
addressed through the qualifiers retains its value from any previous analysis. For
instance, if you first perform an analysis using the qualifier /PU242=13, and then
re-run the analysis without the qualifier, the analysis proceeds as if you had
entered the qualifier.

Also, it is important to keep in mind the limits for each of these parameters as
described in the section above which describes the interactive use of MGA.

[/ID=<description>]

Specifies a sample identification text string. Up to 16 characters in quotes are

allowed for this parameter. The information is stored in the datasource as the
parameter SIDENT (sample identification). If this qualifier is omitted, the existing
spectrum id remains unchanged.

[/DECL=<declaration date>]

Specifies the declaration date to which the reported activities are decay corrected.
If a declaration date is not explicitly specified the declaration date is taken from the
‘sample date’ entry in the ‘Edit Sample Information’ dialog. If there is no ‘sample
date’ available the acquisition start date/time is used as the declared date. This
qualifier uses the parameter STIME. If this qualifier is omitted, the acquisition start
date/time is written into the STIME parameter (no decay correction). The time
syntax must be the same syntax currently defined for the operating system.
[/PU242=<value>]
Specifies the Pu-242 percent abundance in the sample on the declared date, if a
declared date is given with the /DECL qualifier. If this qualifier is used without the

15
 /DECL qualifier, the given Pu-242 percent abundance is assumed to be the
abundance at the acquisition start time.
If this qualifier is omitted, MGA estimates the Pu-242 percent abundance using the
results from the other plutonium isotopes using the “new” algorithm. If the qualifier
is assigned a value of –1, the old Pu-242 calculation method is used.
The program sets a value for a flag parameter that indicates whether the Pu-242
percent abundance parameter is an entered value or a calculated value.

[/SEPTIME=<value>]

Specifies the reactor discharge to chemical separation time (in years). This qualifier
is only useful in connection with the old Pu-242 calculation method, and is ignored
if used without it. If the /PU242 = –1 qualifier is used without this qualifier, the
separation time defaults to five years. The maximum value is 100 years. If the
maximum is exceeded, the default is used.

[/LEDETLIM=<value>]

Specifies the low energy spectrum detection limit criterion (maximum percent
uncertainty allowed) in either mode. This qualifier uses the parameter
PRMGALEDETLM. If this qualifier is omitted, the value in the file is used. For
files where the MGA parameters have not been initialized, a default value of 30 is
used. The maximum value is 99. If the maximum is exceeded, the default is used.

[/HEDETLIM=<value>]

Specifies the high energy spectrum detection limit criterion (maximum percent
uncertainty allowed) in the two detector mode. This qualifier uses the parameter
PRMGAHEDETLM. If this qualifier is omitted, the value in the file is used. For
files where the MGA parameters have not been initialized, a default value of 10 is
used. The maximum value is 40. If the maximum is exceeded, the default is used.

[/HEONLY]

Specifies that the current spectrum is a high energy spectrum. If this qualifier is not
specified, the current spectrum must be low energy.

[/LEDETVOL=<value>]

Specifies low energy detector volume [cubic cm].

[/LEMINCOUNTS=<value>]

Specifies low energy minimum counts.

16
[/WASTE]

If present, it specifies that this is a spectrum from a waste measurement or is

unusual.

[/LOWSTAT]

If present, it specifies that this is a spectrum with low counting statistics or with
unusual isotopics.

[/STEEL=<value>]

If present, it specifies the thickness [mm] of the steel container wall.

[/LECD=<value>]

Specifies the low-energy detector Cd absorber thickness [mm]. If present, it causes

the software to treat this as a fixed value. There is no separate flag in this case as in
the interactive interface.

[/LEPU=<value>]

Specifies the low-energy detector Pu absorber thickness [mm]. If present, it causes

the software to treat this as a fixed value. There is no separate flag in this case as in
the interactive interface.

[/HECD=<value>]

Specifies the high-energy detector Cd absorber thickness [mm]. If present, it causes

the software to treat this as a fixed value.
[/FRESHAM=<value>]
Freshly separated Americium
[/UPRESENT=<value>]
Uranium present in sample

[/HEPB=<value>]

Specifies the high-energy detector Pb absorber thickness [mm]. If present, it causes

the software to treat this as a fixed value.
[/HELP]
Displays help text for this command.

17
A. MGA Input Parameters

The following parameters from the CAM file control the execution of the

program. The full parameter name (e.g. CAM_T_PRMGAANALTYP) is contained in

the Genie 2000 documentation.)

PRMGAANALTYP Type of analysis (8 characters): always set to STD

ECSLOPE Gain of the spectrum (should be around 0.075 for the low
energy spectrum)
ECOFFSET Energy of the zero channel of the spectrum (energy offset)

Note: The high energy spectrum has its own slope and offset.

PRMGAAMHETRO Am-241 is heterogeneous (1=heterogeneous,

0=homogeneous). This parameter is effective only in the two
detector mode. This parameter should be set to 1, if the Am-
241 concentration is not homogeneously distributed within the
sample. This parameter is no longer used in the analysis.
PRMGAFIXPB Pb absorber thickness (mm) around sample (to default to zero
always)
PRMGAMINCNTS Total spectral counts required for MGA to operate
PRMGASTATMOD Enables the “Waste or Unusual Spectra Applications” option if
set to 1, reduces some of the requirements for various
characteristics of the spectrum or the results that are being
generated. This may allow poor and unusual spectra to be
analyzed, but the results may be more questionable.
PRAMSEPLIMIT Maximum Am separation time
PRMGAMAXNQF Maximum fit value
PRMAX122FWHM Maximum 122 keV FWHM (for validity test; in eV)
PRMAXMGAPUER Maximum error in Pu-240 effective (in percent) This parameter
is no longer used in the analysis.
MGAFCDABS Fixed cadmium absorber thickness (in g/cm2)

PRMGAFIXCD Use fixed cadmium thickness? (Y/N)

MGAFPUABS Fixed plutonium thickness (in g/cm2)

18
PRMGAFIXPU Use fixed plutonium thickness? (Y/N)

PRMGANSPEC Number of spectra used (1 or 2)

NDETHIPBTHK High energy detector Pb thickness (in mm), default = 0.0

NDETHICDTHK High energy detector Cd thickness (in mm), default = 1.0

NDETCDCF High energy detector Cd thickness in second gamma path (in

mm), default = 0.0. This value should normally be left at zero.
Non-zero values only apply to very unusual configurations where
two distinct paths exist between the source and the detector.
ACQDETVOL Approximate volume (cm3) of small detector

NSPRMGASTEEL Steel sample container thickness (mm)

ACQDETDEPTH 1st Ge det. depth (mm)(non-zero value indicates a telescope

configuration)
NEFFMGAHFRAC Fraction of sample in 2nd path. This value should normally be
zero. Non-zero values only apply to very unusual
configurations where two distinct paths exist between the
source and the detector.
NSPRMGA242C0 Multiplier constant for Pu-242 calculation.

NSPRMGA242C1 1st coefficient for Pu-242 calculation.

NSPRMGA242C2 2nd coefficient for Pu-242 calculation.
NSPRMGA242C3 3rd coefficient for Pu-242 calculation.
NSPRMGA242C4 4th coefficient for Pu-242 calculation.
NSPRMGA242C5 5th coefficient for Pu-242 calculation.
NSPRMGA242C6 6th coefficient for Pu-242 calculation.
NSPRMGA242C7 7th coefficient for Pu-242 calculation.
NSPRMGA242C8 8th coefficient for Pu-242 calculation.
NSPRMGA242C9 9th coefficient for Pu-242 calculation.
DETNAME Det label (2 character descriptor for reporting purposes only,
defaulted to blank)
ACQDETDIAM Large detector diameter (in cm). This parameter is no longer
used in the analysis.
ACQDETWIDTH Large detector height (in cm). This parameter is no longer used
in the analysis.

19
PRMGALEDETLM Low energy spectrum (129 and 208 peak) detection limit %
uncertainty (default=30). Measurement uncertainties in percent
for the 129 or 208 keV peaks must be less than this value for
analysis to proceed.
PRMGAHEDETLM High energy spectrum (208 and 414 peak) detection limit %
uncertainty (default=10). Measurement uncertainties in
percent for the 208 or 414 keV peaks must be less than this value
for analysis to proceed.
MGALONGREP Long report flag (0, 1, or 2). For settings 1 and 2, it will write
intermediate results into a file MGALONG.TMP. An already
existing file will automatically be overwritten. Default =0.
PRMGASAM241 Flag. 1 = freshly separated Am241.
PRMGAUPRES Uranium is present in the sample
MGAPU242TYP Pu-242 calculation method (“Declared”, “New”, “Old”). It may

be changed by the analysis.

MGADECPU242 Declared Pu-242 value

MGAHIGHFILE Name of high energy spectrum in the 2-spectrum mode

PRMGANOABORT Always return success status except for I/O errors.

The parameters below are set to the following constant values:

ACQMGAEFSL MGA efficiency slope (set to zero)

ACQMGAEFCV MGA efficiency curve (set to zero). Shaping time-constant for

first system (set to 2.0). Shaping time-constant for second system
(set to 2.0)

20
B. MGA Output Parameters

The following MGA calculations results are stored in the CAM parameters

(parameter names are followed by descriptions). The full parameter name (e.g.

CAM_F_PUTHICK) is contained in the Genie 2000 documentation.)

Common Parameters
MGAVERSION MGA version information (16 characters)

PUTHICK Thickness the plutonium sample (in g/cm2)

CDTHICK Thickness of the Cadmium absorber (in mm)

QFIT Regular goodness-of-fit

NQFIT Intensity normalized goodness-of-fit

FWHM 122 FWHM at 122 keV (in eV)

FWHM208 FWHM at 208 keV (in eV)

AMSEPTIME Time since Am-241 separation (seconds)

DAMSEPTIME Percent error of time since Am-241 separation

USEPTIME Time since U-237 separation (seconds)

AMTOPU241 Am/Pu-241 weight ratio

DAMTOPU241 Percent error in Am/Pu-241 weight ratio

MFAM243NP239 Am-243/Np-239 present?

PU241TOPU239 Pu-241/Pu-239 ratio

UTOPU U/Pu ratio from fluorescence X-rays

DUTOPU Percent error in U/Pu ratio from fluorescence x-rays

PUXRFINT Plutonium X-ray fluorescence intensity

PUDXRFINT Uncertainty in plutonium X-ray fluorescence intensity

21
PU240EFF Pu-240 effective
DPU240EFF Percent error of Pu-240 effective
MGATOTSPOW Total specific power (mW/g) at declaration date

DTOTSPOW Uncertainty in total specific power (mW/g) at declaration date

MGATOTCOUNTS Total number of counts in the low energy spectrum

MGALEFILE Name of the low energy spectrum file (stripped, 32 characters)

MGAHEFILE Name of the high energy spectrum file (stripped, 32 characters)
MGAHELIVE Live time of the high energy spectrum (stored into the low
energy spectrum file for reporting purposes)
MGAHEREAL Real time of the high energy spectrum (stored into the low
energy spectrum file for reporting purposes)
MGAPU242TYP Pu-242 calculation method (“Declared”, “New alg.”, “Old alg.”,
“Setup coef.”)

MGAU235REC The record number of the U-235 analysis results (makes

reporting easier)
MGANP237REC The record number of the Np-237 analysis results (for reporting)
MGAU238REC The record number of the U-238 analysis results (for reporting)
MGAAM243REC The record number of the Am-243 analysis results (for reporting)
MGADONE MGA results have been generated (0=no results, 1=MGA
analysis done and results exist)

MGAAM100ABN If Am-241 is heterogeneous, the Am-241 abundance relative to

Pu-239 is based on the 100 keV region analysis. If Am-241
is homogenous, set to zero.
MGAAM100ABNE % error in Am-241 abundance relative to Pu-239 based on 100
keV region analysis
MGAAM300ABN If Am-24 1 is heterogeneous, the Am-241 abundance relative to
Pu-239 is based on the 300 keV region analysis. If Am-241
is homogenous, set to zero.
MGAAM300ABNE % error in Am-241 abundance relative to Pu-239 based on 300
keV region analysis
MGAAM600ABN If Am-241 is heterogeneous, the Am-241 abundance relative to
Pu-239 is based on the 600 keV region analysis. If Am-241
is homogenous, set to zero.
MGAAM600ABNE % error in Am-241 abundance relative to Pu-239 based on 600
keV region analysis

22
MGA100600DIF If Am-241 is heterogeneous, the percent difference between the
Am-241 abundance relative to Pu-239 error is based on the 100
keV region analysis and the 600 keV region analysis. If Am-241
is homogenous, set to zero.
MGAAMSTDD Related to the heterogeneous Am-241 calculation. If Am-241 is
homogenous, defaults to zero.
MGAAMBETA Related to the heterogeneous Am-241 calculation. If Am-241 is
homogenous, defaults to zero.
MGAZR95CONC Zr-95 concentration (Bq/g)

MGAZR95CERR Error in Zr-95 concentration (percent)

MGANB95CONC Nb-95 concentration (Bq/g)

MGANB95CERR Error in Nb-95 concentration (percent)

MGARU103CONC Ru-103 concentration (Bq/g)

MGARU103CERR Error in Ru-103 concentration (percent)

MGARU106CONC Ru-106 concentration (Bq/g)

MGARU106CERR Error in Ru-106 concentration (percent)

MGACS137CONC Cs-137 concentration (Bq/g)

MGACS137CERR Error in Cs-137 concentration (percent)

MGACE144CONC Ce-144 concentration (Bq/g)

MGACE144CERR Error in Ce-144 concentration (percent)

Note: For all fission products, a concentration error of 100% indicates that the
concentration is a 3 sigma upper limit, not an activity actually found.
MGAERRnn MGA error nn occurred, where nn is 01 to 31 (occurred = 1, did
not occur = 0)

MGAERRx Error amplification value x, where x is A to MGAVCHECK

Note Most error messages are handled by the report template because their
positions in the error array are fixed.
MGAVCHECK0 Validity test 0 (Q < MAX Q)

MGAVCHECK1 Validity test 1 (122 keV FWHM too large)

MGAVCHECK2 Validity test 2 (dead time too large)

MGAVCHECK8 Validity test 8 (Am separation time too large)

23
MGAVCHECK9 Validity test 9 (Pu-240 error too large)

MGAVCHECK10 Validity test 10 (Pu-239 out of valid range)

MGAVCHECK16 Validity test 16 (U-235 out of valid range)

The following four common parameters describe relative efficiency at various energies,
computed from the data; up to 20 energies can be so described. Two-digit nn ranges from
“01” to “20”.

MGAREFnnENG Relative efficiency nn: energy (keV); unused values are zero. By
convention, energies are stored in ascending order.

MGAREFnnCNTS Relative efficiency nn: counts in the peak

MGAREFnnEFF Relative efficiency nn: relative efficiency (as a fraction)

MGAREFnnEFFE Relative efficiency nn: uncertainty in relative efficiency (1-sigma

absolute error)

Record Parameters
VARNAME Isotope name (e.g. Pu-238, Am-241, etc.)

VARNUMBER Isotope number (16 characters)

RELABN Relative abundance to Pu-239

DRELABN Percent error in relative abundance to Pu-239
DRELABNR Percent error in relative abundance ratio
WGTPCTM Weight percent at measurement time

DWGTPCTM Percent error in weight at measurement time

WGTPCTD Weight percent at declaration time

DWGTPCTD Percent error in weight at declaration time

SPECPWR Specific power at declaration time (mW/g)

MGA241RELABN Relative abundance to Pu-241

MGA241RAE Percent error in relative abundance to Pu-241
VCVMn Covariance matrix for the abundance uncertainties (where n is 1
to 16).
MGAISOFLAGS Isotope Flags
MGAISODECL True if this isotope came from declared isotopics

24
The SOLUTION analysis type is disabled.

25
C. MGA Report Output Example

A typical MGA output report is shown in Figure 4 below. This report contains several
measurement parameters in addition to the analysis results.

Figure 4 Typical MGA output report

In the top portion of the report MGA gives some basic information about the analyzed
spectrum, such as the Spectrum ID, measurement and declared dates, live time, dead
time, Sample ID, operator name, and total number of counts.

26
The reported plutonium sample thickness and cadmium absorber thickness shown in this
report are only approximate values. They are determined by one of the MGA subroutines
to help define the intrinsic efficiency curve if you have not entered values for them.
MGA also reports approximate FWHM values for 122 and 208 keV peaks, obtained
using the shape calibration process described above.
QFIT is the reduced chi-square of the least-squares fitting process. NQFIT is an intensity-
normalized value related to QFIT. Whereas the value of QFIT will increase with an
increasing number of counts in a spectrum, NQFIT is far less sensitive to the statistical
precision of the count. An ideal fit results in a value of 1.0 for both quantities. Any value
significantly above 1.0 indicates an imbalance among some of the equations involved in
the fitting process. A value of NQFIT in excess of 1.02 triggers a warning message that
the fit is not ideal. A value in excess of 1.05 becomes cause for concern that one or more
of the results may have been compromised by the imbalance in the equations.
The first column in the analysis report contains relative abundances of the isotopes found
in the sample. This column is followed by two columns reporting percent errors. The
second of these columns shows the 1-sigma uncertainties associated with the independent
analyses of the various isotopes. However, when the abundance of the various isotopes
are made relative to the measured abundance of Pu-239, then the corresponding errors of
the ratios increase, except for the error associated with the ratio of Pu-239 with respect to
itself. The uncertainties of these ratios are shown in the first set of errors.
The next two columns show the abundance of the various isotopes relative to the
measured abundance of Pu-241, and the corresponding errors of the ratios.
The following four columns contain two sets of related results. The first two columns
show the isotopic results at the measurement date (also referred to as the ‘acquisition
date’), and the next two columns show the results when they are decay-corrected from the
measurement date to the declared date. Here the results are reported as the weight percent
of the isotope together with its associated statistical uncertainty. The uncertainty of any
calculated Pu-242 value is arbitrarily assigned a value of 10%. If the Pu-242 abundance
has been input by the user, the error is assigned a value of 1%.
MGA reports the total specific power of the sample at declaration date in mW/g. This
value is used to interpret a calorimetry measurement of the total sample power. The
individual power values for each of the heat producing isotopes are also stored and
available via the CAM_F_SPECPWR CAM parameter.
The Pu-240 effective value is available in the MGA report. This value is used to interpret
neutron coincidence counting measurements of the sample.
MGA also reports the Am/Pu-241 ratio and the number of years since last time the
Am-241 was removed from the sample.
One or more additional non-plutonium actinides are usually measured and reported by
MGA. Am-241 is always present in plutonium samples, and its percent abundance is
given relative to the total plutonium abundance. If uranium is present in a sample, the
U-235 is easily detected, and its abundance is also reported relative to the plutonium
abundance.

27
MGA is also reports the U/Pu ratio of a MOX sample, obtained using one of the methods
described above.
In the “Both Low Energy and High Energy Spectra” mode MGA also produces a Fission
Product analysis report containing concentrations (Bq/g of Pu) of some of the fission
products (Zr-95, Nb-95, Ru-103, Ru-106, Cs-137, and Ce-144).

28
D. MGA Error/Warning Messages

The MGA program may set several warning flags in the datasource. The following
messages, corresponding with MGAERR01 up to MGAERR31, may be listed in the
report:

01 “Count rate exceeds x cps.”: The low energy spectrum count rate is higher than x
cps. x equals CAM parameter MGAERRB, multiplied with 20000.
02 “Low energy spectrum > 4K: high energy spectrum ignored.”: When the low
energy spectrum exceeds 4K, the high energy spectrum will not be considered.
03 “Bad system gain/zero: establish better scaling.”: The positions of one or more
peaks are quite different from the positions calculated using the zero/gain values
based on the energy calibration. Either the analyzer zero/gain should be adjusted
or the spectrum should be recalibrated.
04 “Efficiency curvature was fixed due to low peak areas.”: The efficiency curvature
is not allowed to be a free parameter when the peak intensities are too weak.
Solution: Get more data.
05 “59 keV peak is weak: use less cadmium absorber.”: A Cd filter is usually used to
attenuate the 59 keV peak. A better analysis could be made of the current sample
by reducing the filter thickness (if possible).
06 “59 keV peak is intense: use more cadmium absorber.”: Not enough Cd absorber
used. If the count rate can be increased (by better geometry, less collimation, etc.),
then a better analysis could perhaps be made of the current sample by increasing
the Cd filter thickness.
07 “U-237 - Pu-241 non-equilibrium detected.”: The peak intensities of U-237 and
Pu-241 indicate that the two isotopes are not in an equilibrium decay rate.
08 “Lead x-rays observed: Np-237 results could be affected.”: Pb shielding that is
not properly covered with Cd will produce Pb x rays. These x rays will
compromise the Np-237 results when using a single 4K spectrum. If an 8K, or a
second spectrum is used, the Np-237 abundance is calculated from the 312 keV
peak of Pa-233.
09 “Lead x-rays detected.”: Pb x-ray peaks observed in low energy spectrum.
10 “High side tailing observed: check pole-zero or count rate.”: The high-sides of the
59 and 208 keV peaks are examined. The message is given if a significant
deviation from a Gaussian distribution is found. The Pu-240 result is particularly
sensitive to this condition.
11 “Error in GFIT routine: probable weak peak in location x.”: MGA had problems
to fit a given region. x represents the location of the weak peak, causing the
problem (CAM parameter MGAERRC). This condition is not usually serious, but
if it persists, steps should be taken to investigate its cause.

29
12 “Calculations in MGAABS didn’t converge: results may be suspect.”: One of
more parameters in the iterative non-linear least-squares process in subroutine
MGAABS did not converge properly. Action was taken to force convergence.
The analysis results may have been compromised. Check if the low-energy
detector volume specified in the file is approximately correct.
13 “Efficiency curvature boundary reached.”: The change in curvature of the
efficiency curve is greater than allowed. Make sure the low-energy detector
volume specified in the file is approximately correct.
14 “Efficiency slope too shallow.”: Problems with the efficiency calibration
calculations.
15 “Efficiency curvature boundary reached. Efficiency slope too shallow.”: MGA
problems with the efficiency calibration calculations.
16 “WARNING: ADC exhibits significant odd/even effect.”: The “weighted”
residuals of the odd- and even-numbered channels in the 100 keV region are
summed and compared. The above warning message is given if they are
statistically different. The value of QFIT will increase, but the results may not be
affected.
17 “Thorium activity detected. (X-rays detected in spectrum)”: MGA found Th X-
rays. Very rare condition. Reported for information only.
18 “Pu-241/Pu-239 efficiency changed in MGACAL by x%.”: The efficiency curve
in the 125-148 keV region is further evaluated when the sample contains a
significant amount of Am-241. A significant change in excess of 1% is reported
as warning that the different methods of determining the efficiency slope in this
region do not exactly agree. The reason for disagreement should be studied (x
equals CAM parameter MGAERRD).
19 “WARNING: FWHM of the low energy detector> 700 eV.”: MGA noticed
resolution problems for the low energy spectrum. The results might be improved
with the use of a detector with better resolution.
20 “WARNING: High FWHM**2 vs. energy slope > x (radiation damage ?).”:
MGA had problems to derive the FWHM equation (x equals CAM parameter
MGAERRA).
21 “FWHM of the low energy detector > 700 eV.”: MGA noticed resolution
problems for the low energy spectrum. The results might be improved with the
use of a detector with better resolution.
22 “WARNING: Poor quality-of-fit: results maybe suspect.”: The NQFIT figure of
merit exceeds 1.02. The results may still be good, but if the magnitude of NQFIT
is significantly high, the residuals should be examined.

The following messages refer to messages coming from the higher energy part of the
gamma ray spectrum, which is only analyzed in the 8K and two detector modes.

30
23 “Coax. detector spectrum not at .25 keV/channel.”: Problems with the energy
calibration of the high energy spectrum. It is advised to adjust gain or zero
settings. The normal gain for a coaxial detector is approximately 0.25
keV/channel.
24 “Warning: 208 keV FWHM of coax det. > 1.2 keV”: Resolution problems for the
high energy spectrum, which is not used any more for further analysis. Better
results might be obtained with the help of a better resolution detector.
25 “208 keV resolution exceeds 1.6 keV: coax. spectrum not used.”: Coax detector
resolution is unacceptable. Analysis will be based only on the low-energy
spectrum.
26 “208 keV or 270 keV peak too weak to use.”: The percent error of the 208 keV
peak in the coax spectrum exceeded the allowable value given in the file. Analysis
will be based only on the low-energy spectrum.
27 “414 keV peak too weak to use.”: due to a too weak 414 keV peak, MGA could
not derive a good resolution calibration for the high energy spectrum, which is not
used any more for further analysis.
28 “630 - 660 keV region too weak to use.”: The net counts in the 630-660 keV
region of the coax detector are too low. This region will not be used in the
analysis. Therefore, U-238 cannot determined.
29 “Low energy spectrum gain/zero defaulted to 0.075/0.”: A bad gain or zero value
is read from the low energy spectrum.
30 “High energy spectrum gain/zero defaulted to 0.250/0.”: A bad gain or zero value
is read from the high energy spectrum.
31 “x MGA parameter(s) defaulted, starting from parameter y.”: x CAM parameters
are not initialized or have an illegal value stored in the low energy spectrum (see
also INITIALIZATION section). The value y represents the first bad CAM
parameter found, according to the input list of the INPUT section, starting from
PRMGAFIXPB.
33 “WARNING: 414 keV peak off scale. High energy region NOT USED.”
34 “WARNING: 1001 keV peak near end of spectrum.”
35 “ERROR: High energy region too weak. Get more counts”
36 “WARNING: ADC/Amplifier is nonlinear.”
37 “ERROR: Coax det. spectrum not used. Check gain/zero settings.”
38 “WARNING: 129 keV peak weak or missing. Try using “Waste/Unusual
Spectra” analysis mode.”

The MGA program may generate the following error messages at execution time:

101 “Input datasource not specified: [0]”: The low energy datasource was not added
on the command line

31
103 “Invalid switch was specified: [0]”: Illegal command line argument was detected
104 “Duplicate switch was specified: [0]”: Same qualifier was entered twice on the
command line
106 “Too many switches were specified: [0]”: Too many switches were added on the
command line
108 “Invalid switch value specified: [x]”: The program detected an illegal switch
value. x can have the next values:
2: bad syntax of declaration date
3: Pu-242 declared value out of range or non-floating point string entered
4: low energy spectrum detection limit value out of range or non-floating
point string entered
5: high energy spectrum detection limit value out of range or non-floating
point string entered
6: reactor discharge to chemical separation time value out of range or non-
floating point string entered.
117 “Error while opening specified input datasource: [x]”: Error during opening of the
low or high energy datasource. x equals the type of SAD error
122 “Error during CAM write operation: [x]”: Error when dumping one or more CAM
parameters into the low energy datasource. The value of x stands for the next
storage phase:
1: reset of MGA results flag MGAFLAGS
2: variable type CAM parameters (MGAVERSION up to MGAPU242TYP
of above output list)
3: variable floating point CAM parameters part 1 (PUTHICK up to
MGATOTCOUNTS of above output list)
4: variable floating point CAM parameters part 2 (PUXRFINT up to
MGATOTSPOW of above output list)
5-9: Pu-xxx analysis results
a: Am-241 analysis results
b: Np-237 analysis results
c: Am-243 (Np-239) analysis results
d: U-235 analysis results
e: U-238 analysis results
f: flag CAM parameters (MGA235REC up to MGATYPE of the output list
above)
10: fission isotope concentrations with errors (MGAZR95CONC up to
MGACE144CERR of above list)

32
 11: solution analysis results (not stored yet)
12: MGA error message arguments (MGAERRA up to MGAERRF of the
above output list)
13: storage of MGAFLAGS (MGADONE set to 1 and MGAERRxx flags).
123 “Error during CAM read operation: [x]”: Error when reading one or more CAM
parameter from the low or high energy datasource. The value of x stands for the
next input phase:
a: low energy datasource sample information (CAM parameters
CHANNELS up to ECOFFSET of above input list)
b: spectral data of low energy datasource
14: high energy datasource sample information (CAM parameters
CHANNELS up to ECOFFSET of above input list)
15: spectral data of high energy datasource.
196 “Unable to allocate memory: [x]”: x represents the program phase, where a
memory problem occurred:
1: spectral data
2: low energy datasource MGA analysis information
3: high energy datasource MGA analysis information
4: MGA analysis results
5: MGAPC info message data.
197 “Number of channels too high: [x]”: x is 1 for the low energy datasource, and 2
for the high energy datasource.
198 “Invalid parameter value in ”MGA_SETUP": [x]": x stands for the following
situations:
0: problem during scanf operation on the string of the environmental
parameter MGA SETUP
y: the value on place y in the MGA_SETUP string is out of range.

Error message 198 will not occur because the environmental parameter is no longer used.

199 “Conflicting declaration and acquisition date: [0]”: Illegal order of the declaration
and acquisition date
200 “MGA solution analysis disabled: [0]”: MGA solution analysis type cannot be
selected.
201 “Error during access of temporary parameter file: [x]”: A file access error on the
temporary file MGAINFO.TMP occurs during the next operation, represented by
x:
1: file opening error during info dump by MGA

33
 2: file write error during the dump of low energy datasource analysis
information
3: file write error during the dump of high energy datasource analysis
information
4: file write error during dump of spectral data
5: file close error during info dump by MGA
6: file opening error during analysis results read by MGA
7: error during analysis results read by MGA
8: file close error during analysis results read by MGA.
202 “Invalid acquisition/sampling date: [x]”: x corresponds with the following dates:
1: low energy datasource sampling date and time
2: low energy datasource acquisition date and time
3: high energy datasource sampling date and time
4: high energy datasource acquisition date and time.
203 “Improper functioning of MGAPC program: [x]” A problem occurred during the
execution of the MGAPC program. x reflects the following situations:
1 -c4: a program spawning error occurred (for more information see
DosExecPgm() return values in the CP reference)
c8: temporary file access error, when MGAPC tried to read the stored
information
c9: MGAPC did not store any analysis results in the temporary file
ca: MGAPC did not get any acquisition date and time information
cb: MGAPC did not receive a live time
cc: MGAPC returned an illegal value for one of the error and warning flags.
204 “129 or 208 keV peak too small in low energy spectrum: [x]”: MGAPC could not
find one of the indicated calibration peaks. The parameter x represents the
following situations:
1: 208 keV peak not found
2: 129 keV peak not found
205 “Number of counts in low energy spectrum too low: [0]”: The low energy
datasource does not contain enough counts (bad spectrum)
206 “Matrix is singular: [x]”: MGAPC detected a singular matrix in one of the
following Fortran subroutines:
0: in MGAABS
10-25 in MGACAL (empty data entry number, incremented by 9)

34
 110-115: in MGAEQS (number of empty data entry, incremented by 109).
207 “Negative result for Pu-239, Pu-240 or Pu-241: [0]”:
208 “Insufficient counts in 100 keV region: [0]”

35
E. Using REGEDIT to Set Environment Variables

This section describes the process of editing the Windows Registry. If you make a
mistake, you can damage the ability of your computer to access the Canberra software or
even damage Windows itself. Currently, there is an article on the Microsoft web site that
describes the registry structure and how to edit it. See
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986. That article contains the following warning:
“Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry
Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating
system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your
own risk.”

The following describes the basic operations that you must perform.
1. Close all programs.
2. Back up the Registry as described in the Microsoft article or by creating a system
restore point.
3. Click on the Windows “Start” button, and then click on the “Run” icon to bring
up the Run command line.
4. Type “regedit” (without the quotes). The registry editor window should appear.
There are two panes. The left pane shows the hierarchical key structure, and the
right pane shows the contents of the currently selected key. (Note that the editor
has its own built-in “Help.”)
5. There are several pre-defined keys. (The keys are shown using the Windows
Explorer format. You can collapse the hierarchy if it is expanded by clicking on
the “-“ box in front of the folder icon. This may help you find things more easily.)
Look for the key “HKEY_LOCAL MACHINE.”
6. If the key is not expanded, click on the “+” box in front of the folder icon to
expand it. Look for the “SOFTWARE” key.
7. If necessary, click on the “+” box in front of the folder icon to expand it. Look for
the key “Canberra Industries, Inc.”
8. Again, if necessary, click on the “+” box in front of the folder icon to expand it.
Look for the key “Genie-2000 Environment.” Click on it.
9. In the right hand pane, you should see several environment variables that are
defined when the Canberra products are installed.
10. Click on the “Edit” command in the menu, and then point to “New,” and click on
the type of value you want to add. For the MGA environment variables, you can
use the string type.
11. In the right hand pane, an entry “New Value #<n>” will appear (with <n>
replaced by a number). The entry will be in inverse-video and surrounded by a
box, indicating that you can edit it. Type in the environment variable name and
press the “Enter” key to save the new name. (Note: if you make a mistake, you

36
 can correct it by right-clicking on the value and then clicking on “Rename” in the
pop-up dialog box that appears. You can also delete the value by right-clicking on
it and clicking on “Delete” in the pop-up box.)
12. Right-click on the new value, and click on “Modify” in the pop-up box. A new
pop-up dialog will occur. Enter the actual value of the variable. For instance, if
you are adding MGA_TMPDIR, enter the path to the temporary directory. If you
are entering MGA_USEGENIEFWHM, you can merely enter Y.
13. When you are through editing the Registry, click on the “File” command in the
menu, and then click on “Exit.”

You must stop the VDM and re-start it to have the software "see" the new changes.

37
F. Pu-242 Algorithms

Pu-242 has a half-life that is relatively much longer than those of the other Pu isotopes
and because the intensities of the emitted radiations is weak, in a mixture of Pu isotopes
Pu-242 cannot be directly measured except in isotopic abundances in excess of 50%.
Therefore, several options are available for treating this problem 5.

“New” (Default Coefficients)

This is used when the declared value is zero and when all of the values in the coefficient
entry dialog described above are zero.
(
% Pu − 242 = 1.1 ⋅ a + b ⋅ [239] + c ⋅ [240] + d ⋅ [241] + e ⋅ [239] + f ⋅ [240] + g ⋅ [241]
2 2 2
)
where [239 ] = ⎡⎢ 239 ⎤⎥ ⋅ FCTR
⎣ 239 ⎦

[240 ] = ⎡⎢ 240 ⎤⎥ ⋅ FCTR

⎣ 239 ⎦

[241] = ⎡⎢ 241 + Am ⎤⎥ ⋅ FCTR

⎣ 239 ⎦
100
FCTR =
⎡ 238 ⎤ ⎡ 239 ⎤ ⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎡ 241 ⎤ ⎡ Am ⎤
⎢ 239 ⎥ + ⎢ 239 ⎥ + ⎢ 239 ⎥ + ⎢ 239 ⎥ + ⎢ 239 ⎥
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
⎡ 238 ⎤ ⎡ 239 ⎤ ⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎡ 241 ⎤ ⎡ Am ⎤
⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥ = ratios to Pu - 239 abundance
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
The coefficients depend on the abundance of Pu-239. They are given in the Table 2
below.
Table 2 Default coefficients for the “New” algorithm
[239] >89 85<[239]<89 75<[239]<85 [239]<75
a 0 100 100 150
b -9.687828E-05 -1.0005220 -1.0080970 -2.68064700
c 4.050273E-03 -0.9948685 -0.9494748 -0.38657090
d 2.160181E-02 -0.9726411 -0.9421364 -0.65042330
e 0 0 0 0.01205550
f 0 0 0 -0.01155217
g 0 0 0 -0.01151055

5
R. Gunnick, “Use of Isotope Correlation Techniques to Determine 242Pu Abundance”,
Nuclear Materials Management 9 (2), 1980.

38
 Default Internal (“Setup”)
• “Ratio” form
⎡ 242 ⎤
⎢ 239 ⎥
% Pu − 242 = 100 ⋅ ⎣ ⎦
⎡ 238 ⎤ ⎡ 239 ⎤ ⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎡ 241 ⎤ ⎡ 242 ⎤
⎢ 239 ⎥ + ⎢ 239 ⎥ + ⎢ 239 ⎥ + ⎢ 239 ⎥ + ⎢ 239 ⎥
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
C2 C3 C4 C8 C9 C10
⎡ 242 ⎤ ⎡ 238 ⎤ ⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎡ 241 + Am ⎤ ⎡ 238 ⎤ ⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎡ 241 + Am ⎤
where ⎢ 239 ⎥ = C1 ⋅ ⎢ 239 ⎥ ⋅ ⎢ 239 ⎥ ⋅ ⎢ 239 ⎥ + C 5 ⋅ ⎢ 239 ⎥ + C 6 ⋅ ⎢ 239 ⎥ + C7 ⋅ ⎢ ⎥
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ 239 ⎦
⎡ 238 ⎤⎡ 239 ⎤⎡ 240 ⎤⎡ 241 ⎤⎡ 241 + Am ⎤
⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥ = ratios to Pu - 239 abundance
⎣ ⎦⎣ ⎦⎣ ⎦⎣ ⎦⎣ ⎦

• The “% abundance” form

C2 C3 C4 C5
⎛ ⎡ 238 ⎤ ⎞ ⎛ ⎡ 239 ⎤ ⎞ ⎛ ⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎞ ⎛ ⎡ 241 + Am ⎤ ⎞
% Pu − 242 = C1 ⋅ ⎜⎜ ⎢ ⎥ SUM ⎟⎟ ⋅ ⎜⎜ ⎢ ⎥ SUM ⎟⎟ ⋅ ⎜⎜ ⎢ ⎥ SUM ⎟⎟ ⋅ ⎜⎜ ⎢ ⎥ SUM ⎟⎟
⎝ ⎣ 239 ⎦ ⎠ ⎝ ⎣ 239 ⎦ ⎠ ⎝ ⎣ 239 ⎦ ⎠ ⎝ ⎣ 239 ⎦ ⎠
⎛ ⎡ 238 ⎤ ⎡ 239 ⎤ ⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎡ 241 ⎤ ⎞
where SUM = 0.01 ⋅ ⎜⎜ ⎢ ⎥+⎢ ⎥+⎢ ⎥+⎢ ⎥ ⎟⎟
⎝ ⎣ 239 ⎦ ⎣ 239 ⎦ ⎣ 239 ⎦ ⎣ 239 ⎦ ⎠
⎡ 238 ⎤ ⎡ 239 ⎤ ⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎡ 241 + Am ⎤
⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥ = ratios to Pu - 239 abundance
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
Note that if you enter a value of 53 as the first coefficient, the “Old” equation (described
below) will be used.

“Old” (Based on the Ratio to Pu-239 Abundance)

The equation is:

⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎡ 241 + Am ⎤
⎢ 239 ⎥ ⋅ ⎢ 239 ⎥
% Pu − 242 = 53 ⋅ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣
2
⎦ ⋅ EXP(0.048135 ⋅ COLTM )
⎡ 239 ⎤
⎢ 239 ⎥
⎣ ⎦
where COLTM = Reactor discharge to chemical separation time (yrs)
⎡ 239 ⎤ ⎡ 240 ⎤ ⎡ 241 + Am ⎤
⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥, ⎢ 239 ⎥ = ratios to Pu - 239 abundance
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
Note that the separation time is stored in CAM parameter CAM_X_MGARCTOCHEM
as a value in seconds. If you use the engine setup user interface, this will be set to the
default value 1.5768E+008 seconds (5 years). You can specify a different value in the
command line batch version, or you can use the PARS utility to store a different value in
the file.

39
G. Listing of Available Example Spectra

The following spectra are available with the distribution of the software:

CBNM61C.CNF
CBNM61L.CNF
CBNM84C.CNF
CBNM84L.CNF
CU1CM10A.CNF

40
 Canberra (we, us, our) warrants to the customer (you, your) that for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of
shipment, software provided by us in connection with equipment manufactured by us shall operate in accordance
with applicable specifications when used with equipment manufactured by us and that the media on which the
software is provided shall be free from defects. We also warrant that (A) equipment manufactured by us shall be
free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of shipment of such
equipment, and (B) services performed by us in connection with such equipment, such as site supervision and
installation services relating to the equipment, shall be free from defects for a period of one (1) year from the date of
performance of such services.

If defects in materials or workmanship are discovered within the applicable warranty period as set forth above, we
shall, at our option and cost, (A) in the case of defective software or equipment, either repair or replace the
software or equipment, or (B) in the case of defective services, reperform such services.

LIMITATIONS
EXCEPT AS SET FORTH HEREIN, NO OTHER WARRANTIES OR REMEDIES, WHETHER STATUTORY,
WRITTEN, ORAL, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE) OR OTHERWISE, SHALL APPLY. IN NO
EVENT SHALL CANBERRA HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT
OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSSES OR DAMAGES OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, WHETHER AS A RESULT
OF BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT LIABILITY (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY OR
OTHERWISE. REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF THE SOFTWARE OR EQUIPMENT DURING THE
APPLICABLE WARRANTY PERIOD AT CANBERRA'S COST, OR, IN THE CASE OF DEFECTIVE SERVICES,
REPERFORMANCE AT CANBERRA'S COST, IS YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY UNDER THIS
WARRANTY.

EXCLUSIONS
Our warranty does not cover damage to equipment which has been altered or modified without our written
permission or damage which has been caused by abuse, misuse, accident, neglect or unusual physical or
electrical stress, as determined by our Service Personnel.

We are under no obligation to provide warranty service if adjustment or repair is required because of damage
caused by other than ordinary use or if the equipment is serviced or repaired, or if an attempt is made to service or
repair the equipment, by other than our Service Personnel without our prior approval.

Our warranty does not cover detector damage due to neutrons or heavy charged particles. Failure of beryllium,
carbon composite, or polymer windows, or of windowless detectors caused by physical or chemical damage from
the environment is not covered by warranty.

We are not responsible for damage sustained in transit. You should examine shipments upon receipt for evidence
of damage caused in transit. If damage is found, notify us and the carrier immediately. Keep all packages,
materials and documents, including the freight bill, invoice and packing list.

When purchasing our software, you have purchased a license to use the software, not the software itself.
Because title to the software remains with us, you may not sell, distribute or otherwise transfer the software. This
license allows you to use the software on only one computer at a time. You must get our written permission for
any exception to this limited license.

BACKUP COPIES
Our software is protected by United States Copyright Law and by International Copyright Treaties. You have our
express permission to make one archival copy of the software for backup protection. You may not copy our
software or any part of it for any other purpose.
Revised 1 Apr 03