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Serial neutron activation analysis for Kazakhstan Industry
Kazakhstan’s mineral resources include a wide range of useful materials. Indeed, the evidence shows that, in this respect, it rates among the world leaders both in quantity and quality. The Republic is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of carbon resources, and of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Many deposits also contain highly valuable substances of importance for the development of modern electronics. International experience in the development of geology clearly shows that neutron activation analysis, in combination with other methods based on nuclear physics, can provide very full and reliable information on the presence of different elements in geological samples. In the past years, thanks to a large number of successful international scientific and technical projects (more than 50 ISTC and IAEA projects) INP managed to carry out a far reaching renewal of its analytical resources and to broaden the range of the analytical services that it could offer. The development of systematic methodological approaches in the Institute, together with the presence of highly qualified staff, means that INP has a claim to be considered a national analytical centre, and the only organization in Kazakhstan which can deploy neutron activation analysis as a basic method for highly sensitive analysis of elements. Until recently, INP focused mainly on carrying out scientifi c research within the framework of the national research programme. This meant that the budget of the Institute, and staff salaries, were heavily dependent on state funding. One result of this was the loss of qualified staff through the inability of the Institute to compete in terms of pay with commercial structures. The only way to protect its staff was for the Institute to develop its own commercial activities. The impetus to understanding the new realities wa s the British CNCP Programme, which facilitated the development of promising commercial opportunities in the nuclear centre. Market research carried out with the help of CNCP showed that demand in the Kazakhstan market for such services amounts at present to 50 – 60 thousand units a year. In the opinion of the experts, demand for such services is increasing, especially in the minerals sector. The development of the market was impeded by the lack of organisations with the capacity to carry out high volume analysis on samples with low concentrations of the substances concerned. The organisation of mass neutron activation analysis in INP, in the framework of the CNCP project, was thus one of the most promising opportunities available for commercialisation within the Institute. Renovation of the laboratory building is currently in its final stages. In the fi rst half of 2009, the facility should reach its planned capacity, providing up to 10,000 analyses a year. Based on this, INP management has made an official appeal to the Director of the Department for Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Industries of the Ministry for Energy and Mineral Resources of Kazakhstan, to establish a national analytical laboratory based in the Institute to meet the needs of the country’s minerals extraction industry. Igor Gorlachev | |
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