γ-Ray Shielding Behaviors of Some Nuclear Engineering Materials

The essential requirement of a material to be used for engineering purposes at nuclear establishments is its ability to attenuate the most penetrating ionizing radiations, gamma (γ)-rays. Mostly, high-Z materials such as heavy concrete, lead, mercury, and their mixtures or alloys have been used in the construction of nuclear establishments and thus termed as nuclear engineering materials (NEM). The NEM are classified into two categories, namely opaque and transparent, depending on their behavior towards the visible spectrum of EM waves. The majority of NEM are opaque. By contrast, various types of glass, which are transparent to visible light, are necessary at certain places in the nuclear establishments. In the present study, γ-ray shielding behaviors (GSB) of six glass samples (transparent NEM) were evaluated and compared with some opaque NEM in a wide range of energy (15 keV–15 MeV) and optical thickness (OT). The study was performed by computing various γ-ray shielding parameters (GSP) such as the mass attenuation coefficient, equivalent atomic number, and buildup factor. A self-designed and validated computer-program, the buildup factor-tool, was used for various computations. It has been established that some glass samples show good GSB, thus can safely be used in the construction of nuclear establishments in conjunction with the opaque NEM as well

Experimental Investigation of Clay Fly Ash Bricks for Gamma-Ray Shielding

This study aims to determine the effect of fly ash with a high replacing ratio of clay on the radiation shielding properties of bricks. Some interaction parameters (mass attenuation coefficients, half value layer, effective atomic number, effective electron density, and absorption efficiency) of clay fly ash bricks were measured with a NaI(Tl) detector at 661.6 keV, 1,173.2 keV, and 1,332.5 keV. For the investigation of their shielding behavior, fly ash bricks were molded using an admixture to clay. A narrow beam transmission geometry condition was used for the measurements. The measured values of these parameters were found in good agreement with the theoretical calculations. The elemental compositions of the clay fly ash bricks were analyzed by using an energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. At selected energies the values of the effective atomic numbers and effective electron densities showed a very modest variation with the composition of the fly ash. This seems to be due to the similarity of their elemental compositions. The obtained results were also compared with concrete, in order to study the effect of fly ash content on the radiation shielding properties of clay fly ash bricks. The clay fly ash bricks showed good shielding properties for moderate energy gamma rays. Therefore, these bricks are feasible and eco-friendly compared with traditional clay bricks used for construction