A Method for Projecting Integral Measured Quantities

Recognizing that differential quantities are sometimes not of practical interest, a simple method for projecting integral quantities is presented. The technique uses only the measured moments of the differential quantity to predict other moments and does not require an explicit a priori knowledge of the differential spectrum. The particular application discussed involves prediction of integral quantities from multiple-foil neutron activations, including integral fast fluxes and activities. In energy regions with good response function coverage, the technique is shown to yield reasonably accurate predictions of the integral fluxes (within ∼15%) and other activities (within ∼30%) using a limited set of measured activities. The methods presented for predicting errors, however, were not as effective in providing reliable quantitative error estimates in all cases.