Enhancement of the shielding capability of soda–lime glasses with sb2o3 dopant: A potential material for radiation safety in nuclear installations

Elastic moduli were theoretically computed using the Makishima–Mackenzie model for SiO2–Na2O–CaO glasses doped with Sb2O3 contents. The calculated elastic moduli (Young’s, bulk, shear, and longitudinal modulus) were observed to increase with an increase in the Sb2O3 contents. The micro hardness showed an increase, while Poisson’s ratio decreased with the rise of the Sb2O3 contents. In addition, gamma-ray and neutron shielding parameters were evaluated for the investigated glasses. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) was simulated using the Monte Carlo N particle transport code (MCNP-5). Other parameters, such as the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), transmission factor (TF), and half-value layer, were calculated based on the simulated LAC. The addition of Sb2O3 content was observed to enhance the investigated glasses’ shielding parameters, where the highest LAC was achieved for the SCNSb10 glass with 10 mol% Sb2O3 and decreased from 0.441 to 0.154 cm-1 at gamma energies between 0.248 and 1.406 MeV. Furthermore, the fast neutron effective removal cross-section (ΣR) was computed theoretically. The calculated results showed that the highest ΣR was equal to 0.0341 cm2g-1 and was obtained for the SCNSb0 glass, which had no Sb2O3 content, while the lowest ΣRwas equal to 0.0286 cm2 g-1 for the SCNSb10 glass sample. The present work was carried out to examine the advantages of the soda–lime glasses with different Sb2O3 contents in several photon shielding applications, especially for radiation safety in nuclear installations. © 2020 by the authors.This work was funded by the Research Universiti Grant, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Geran Universiti Penyelidikan (GUP), code: 2018-133, and the APC was funded by code: 2018-133

INFLUENCE OF INCREASING FLUORIDE DOSE RATES ON SELECTED LIVER AND KIDNEY ENZYMES PROFILE IN DOMESTIC CHICKEN (Gallus domesticus)

ABSTRACT Fluoride has been considered to cause hepatic and renal tissue damages in animals and humans. The present study investigated the effect of varying concentrations of fluoride on hepatic and renal enzyme profile in domestic chicken (n=80). Chicken were distributed into 4 groups. Group A was kept unexposed while group B, C and D were exposed to 10, 20 and 30 µg/g body weight of NaF respectively on weekly basis for four weeks. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine amino-transferase (ALT) and bilirubin were determined as indicators of liver function test (LFT), while uric acid was as a parameter for renal function test (RFT). All LFT and RFT parameters showed high values (P< 0.05) after one, two three and four weeks in all groups. 579.4 ± 1.55, 355.0 ± 2.13, 246.2 ± 2.45 and 0.83 ± 1.46 were the ALP, AST, ALAT and bilirubin values for LFT and uric acid was 6.74 ± 2.92 in D group at the end of four weeks. All these results indicate the probability of severe effect on the physiology of the liver and kidneys in the exposed birds

INFLUENCE OF INCREASING FLUORIDE DOSE RATES ON SELECTED LIVER AND KIDNEY ENZYMES PROFILE IN DOMESTIC CHICKEN (Gallus domesticus)

ABSTRACT Fluoride has been considered to cause hepatic and renal tissue damages in animals and humans. The present study investigated the effect of varying concentrations of fluoride on hepatic and renal enzyme profile in domestic chicken (n=80). Chicken were distributed into 4 groups. Group A was kept unexposed while group B, C and D were exposed to 10, 20 and 30 µg/g body weight of NaF respectively on weekly basis for four weeks. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine amino-transferase (ALT) and bilirubin were determined as indicators of liver function test (LFT), while uric acid was as a parameter for renal function test (RFT). All LFT and RFT parameters showed high values (P< 0.05) after one, two three and four weeks in all groups. 579.4 ± 1.55, 355.0 ± 2.13, 246.2 ± 2.45 and 0.83 ± 1.46 were the ALP, AST, ALAT and bilirubin values for LFT and uric acid was 6.74 ± 2.92 in D group at the end of four weeks. All these results indicate the probability of severe effect on the physiology of the liver and kidneys in the exposed birds

Assessment of Radioactive Materials in Albite Granites from Abu Rusheid and Um Naggat, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt

The present study aims to assess Abu Rusheid and Um Naggat albite granite’s natural radioactivity in the Central Eastern Desert, Egypt, using an HPGe laboratory spectrometer. A total of 17 albite granite samples were detected for this study. The activity concentrations were estimated for238U (range from 204 to 1127 Bq/kg),226Ra (range from 215 to 1300 Bq/kg),232Th (from 130 to 1424 Bq/kg) and40K (from 1108 to 2167 Bq/kg) for Abu Rusheid area. Furthermore238U (range from 80 to 800 Bq/kg),226Ra (range from 118 to 1017 Bq/kg),232Th (from 58 to 674 Bq/kg) and40K (from 567 to 2329 Bq/kg) for the Um Naggat area. The absorbed dose rates in the outdoor air were measured with average values of 740 nGy/h for Abu Rusheid albite granite and 429 nGy/h for Um Naggat albite granite. The activity concentration and gamma-ray exposure dose rates of the radioactive elements238U,226Ra,232Th and40K at Abu Rusheid and Um Naggat exceeded the worldwide average values that recommend the necessity of radiation protection regulation. Moreover, the corresponding outdoor annual effective dose (AEDout ) was calculated to be 0.9 and 0.5 mSv y−1 for Abu Rusheid and Um Naggat albite granite, respectively, which are lower than the permissible level (1 mSv y−1 ). By contrast, the indoor annual effective dose (AEDin) exceeded the recommended limit (3.6 and 2.1 for Abu Rusheid and Um Naggat, respectively). Therefore, the two areas are slightly saving for development projects concerning the use of the studied rocks. The statistical analysis displays that the effects of the radiological hazard are associated with the uranium and thorium activity concentrations in Abu Rusheid and Um Naggat albite granites. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, PNU: PNURSP2022R12Funding: The authors express their gratitude to Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project (Grant No. PNURSP2022R12), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Tailoring bismuth borate glasses by incorporating PbO/GeO2 for protection against nuclear radiation

Nuclear radiation shielding capabilities for a glass series 20Bi2O3 − xPbO − (80 − 2x)B2O3 − xGeO2 (where x = 5, 10, 20, and 30 mol%) have been investigated using the Phy-X/PSD software and Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code. The mass attenuation coefficients (μm) of selected samples have been estimated through XCOM dependent Phy-X/PSD program and MCNP-5 code in the photon-energy range 0.015–15 MeV. So obtained μm values are used to calculate other γ-ray shielding parameters such as half-value layer (HVL), mean-free-path (MFP), etc. The calculated μm values were found to be 71.20 cm2/g, 76.03 cm2/g, 84.24 cm2/g, and 90.94 cm2/g for four glasses S1 to S4, respectively. The effective atomic number (Zeff)values vary between 69.87 and 17.11 for S1 or 75.66 and 29.11 for S4 over 0.05–15 MeV of photon-energy. Sample S4, which has a larger PbO/GeO2 of 30 mol% in the bismuth-borate glass, possesses the lowest MFP and HVL, providing higher radiation protection efficiency compared to all other combinations. It shows outperformance while compared the calculated parameters (HVL and MFP) with the commercial shielding glasses, different alloys, polymers, standard shielding concretes, and ceramics. Geometric Progression (G-P) was applied for evaluating the energy absorption and exposure buildup factors at energies 0.015–15 MeV with penetration depths up to 40 mfp. The buildup factors showed dependence on the MFP and photon-energy as well. The studied samples' neutron shielding behavior was also evaluated by calculating the fast neutron removal cross-section (ΣR), i.e. found to be 0.139 cm−1 for S1, 0.133 cm−1 for S2, 0.128 cm−1 for S3, and 0.12 cm−1 for S4. The results reveal a great potential for using a glass composite sample S4 in radiation protection applications. © 2021, The Author(s).This work has been supported by the Research Universiti Grant, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Geran Uni-versiti Penyelidikan (GUP), code: 2018-134

Evaluation of radiation shielding features of co and ni-based superalloys using mcnp-5 code: Potential use in nuclear safety

Due to their excellent heat resistance, superalloys are used predominantly in the manufacturing of engine parts and accessories for aircraft and aerospace equipment. The Monte Carlo simulation (MCNP-5) code was performed to estimate the mean track length of the incident photons inside six different alloys. Then, based on the simulated track length, other important γ-ray shielding parameters were calculated. In this study, the highest mass attenuation coefficient was obtained for alloys encoded MAR-302 and MAR-247 and varied in the range 0.035–72.94 and 0.035–71.98 cm2·g−1, respectively. The lowest mass attenuation coefficient was found for alloys coded Inconel-718 and Nimocast-75 with a range of 0.033–59.25 and 0.32–59.30 cm2·g−1, respectively. Use was made of a recently developed online program Phy-X/PD to calculate the effective atomic number, equivalent atomic number, and the buildup factors for the alloys of interest. The effective removal cross-section for the fast neutron was also calculated for the studied alloys: the highest value was found for the alloys coded with Inconel-718 (∑R = 0.01945 cm2·g−1) and Nimocast-75 (∑R = 0.01940 cm2·g−1), and the lowest value was obtained for alloy coded MAR-302 (∑R = 0.01841 cm2·g−1). Calculated data indicate that MAR-302 and MAR-247 are superior candidates for shielding of gamma-rays, while Inconel-718 and Nimocast-75 MAR-302 are suitable for the shielding of fast neutrons. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.This work was funded by the Research Universiti Grant, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Geran Universiti Penyelidikan (GUP), code: 2018-134

The presence of radioactive heavy minerals in prospecting trenches and concomitant occupational exposure

Uranium, perhaps the most strategically important component of heavy minerals, finds particular significance in the nuclear industry. In prospecting trenches, the radioactivity of 238U and 232Th provides a good signature of the presence of heavy minerals. In the work herein, the activity concentrations of several key primordial radionuclides (238U, 232Th, and 40K) were measured in prospecting trenches (each of the latter being of approximately the same geometry and physical situation). All of these are located in the Seila area of the South Eastern desert of Egypt. A recently introduced industry standard, the portable hand-held RS-230 BGO gamma-ray spectrometer (1024 channels) was employed in the study. Based on the measured data, the trenches were classified as either non-regulated (U activity less than 1000 Bq kg-1) or regulated (with 238U activity more than 1000 Bq kg-1). Several radiological hazard parameters were calculated, statistical analysis also being performed to examine correlations between the origins of the radionuclides and their influence on the calculated values. While the radioactivity and hazard parameters exceed United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) guided limits, the mean annual effective doses of 0.49 and 1.4 mSv y-1 in non-regulated and regulated trenches respectively remain well below the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommended 20 mSv/y maximum occupational limit. This investigation reveals that the studied area contains high uranium content, suitable for extraction of U-minerals for use in the nuclear fuel cycle. © 2021 Hanfi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Impact of Modifier Oxides on Mechanical and Radiation Shielding Properties of B2O3-SrO-TeO2-RO Glasses (Where RO = TiO2, ZnO, BaO, and PbO)

The influence of modifier oxides (TiO2, ZnO, BaO, and PbO) on the mechanical and radiation shielding properties of boro-tellurate glasses is investigated. Samples with a composition of B2O3-SrO-TeO2-RO (RO represents the modifier oxides) were fabricated using the melt quench method, and their physical, mechanical, and radiation attenuation parameters were reported. For this aim, Monte Carlo simulation was employed to predict the radiation attenuation parameters, while the Makishima-Mackenzie model was adopted to determine the mechanical properties. The tightly packed structure with better cross-linkage density is possessed by the Ti-containing glass (SBT-Ti) system among the titled glass batch. The higher Poisson and micro-hardness values of the SBT-Ti glass indicate its structure’s reduced free volume and better compactness. For the glass with PbO, the linear and mass attenuation coefficients are highly increased compared to those glasses doped with TiO2, ZnO, and BaO. The thinner half-value layer was reported at 0.015 MeV, taking values 0.006, 0.005, 0.004, and 0.002 for samples with TiO2, ZnO, BaO, and PbO, respectively. SBT-Pb sample (with PbO) has a thinner HVL compared to other fabricated glass samples. The fabricated glasses’ thickness (Deq) equivalent to 1 cm of lead (Pb) was reported. The results demonstrated that Deq is high at low energy and equals 11.62, 8.81, 7.61, 4.56 cm for SBT-Ti, SBT-Zn, SBT-Ba, and SBT-Pb glass samples, respectively. According to the Deq results, the fabricated glasses have a shielding capacity between 30 and 43% compared to the pure Pb at gamma-ray energy of 1.5 MeV. At high energy (8 MeV), the transmission factor values for a thickness of 1 cm of the fabricated samples reach 88.68, 87.83, 85.95, and 83.11% for glasses SBT-Ti, SBT-Zn, SBT-Ba, and SBT-Pb, respectively. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The authors acknowledge the support of Taif University Researchers Supporting Project number (TURSP-2020/127), Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia

Radiological Investigation on Sediments: A Case Study of Wadi Rod Elsayalla the Southeastern Desert of Egypt

The presence of heavy radioactive minerals in the studied granitoids from which the Wadi sediments leads to the study of the exposure to emitted gamma rays from the terrestrial radionuclides, such as238 U,232 Th, and40 K. The geological study revealed that the Wadi sediments derived from the surrounding granitoids, such as syenogranite, alkali feldspar granite, and quartz syenite. The mineral analysis confirmed that the granitoids were enriched with radioactive minerals, such as uranothorite as well as monazite, zircon, yttrocolumbite, and allanite. The mean activity of the238 U,232 Th, and40 K concentrations are 62.2 ± 20.8, 84.2 ± 23.3, and 949.4 ± 172.5 Bq kg−1, respectively, for the investigated Wadi sediments, exceeding the reported limit of 33, 45 and 412 Bq kg−1, respectively. Public exposure to emitted gamma radiation is detected by estimating many radiological hazard indices, such as the radium equivalent content (Raeq), external and internal hazard indices (Hex and Hin), annual effective dose (AED), annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE), and excess lifetime cancer (ELCR). The obtained results of the radiological hazards parameters showed that public exposure to emitted gamma radiation can induce various dangerous health effects. Thus, the application of the investigated sediments in different building materials and infrastructures fields is not safe. A multivariate statistical analysis (MSA) was applied to detect radionuclide correlations with the radiological hazard parameters estimated in the granite samples. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The authors acknowledge the support of Taif University Researchers Supporting Project number (TURSP-2020/127), Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia