Development of a gas-jet coupled ISOL facility with a /sup 252/Cf spontaneous fission source

A mass separator at the INEL has been successfully coupled on-line to a source of /sup 252/Cf fission products via a He-gas jet transport arrangement using solid aerosols of NaCl as activity carriers. Initial tests of the ISOL system on-line to an approximately 7 mu g /sup 252 /Cf source are conducted using gamma-ray spectroscopic measurements of the separated /sup 138,139/Cs, /sup 141,142/Ba and /sup 142/La activities. The measured transport efficiencies through the system of approximately 3% and approximately 0.3% for the Cs and Ba isotopes, respectively, are comparable with the results of earlier tests conducted at INEL with a hollow-cathode ion source alone coupled to the He-gas jet transport arrangement. Following these tests, a general survey of the mass-separated activities is conducted with the ISOL system on-line to an approximately 600 mu g source of /sup 252/Cf. Gross beta - gamma activity is measured for samples collected at 73 mass positions. Gamma-ray spectra are measured with a Ge(Li) detector for 29 of the mass positions. (5 refs).