Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
The detection limit of the proportional counter spectrometer is determined by the low-energy background caused by the wall effect. The choice of the filling gas of the proportional counter has been studied to minimize the background. Detection limits (3σ) for different elements have been calculated. Theoretical results have been compared with the experimental value obtained with Cd-109 and Am-24l excitation. The results are applied to the analysis of metal concentrations in oil samples and mapping the contents of zinc in the bark of living trees with a portable XRF-analyzer.