• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1734-1741
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• 2023

This work presents the synthesis and preparation of a new glass system described by the equation of (70-x) B₂O₃-5TeO₂ -20SrCO₃-5ZnO -xBi₂O₃, x = 0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 mol. %, using the melt quenching technique at a melting temperature of 1100 ℃. The photon-shielding characteristics mainly the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) of the prepared glass samples were evaluated using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation N-particle transport code (MCNP-5) at gamma-ray energy extended from 59 keV to 1408 keV emitted by the radioisotopes Am-241, Ba-133, Cs-137, Co-60, Na-22, and Eu-152. Furthermore, we observed that the Bi₂O₃ content of the glasses had a significantly stronger impact on the LAC at 59 and 356 keV. The study of the lead equivalent thickness shows that the performance of fabricated glass sample with 15 mol.% of Bi₂O₃ is four times less than the performance of pure lead at low gamma photon energy while it is enhanced and became two times lower the perforce of pure lead at high energy. Therefore, the fabricated glasses special sample with 15 mol.% of Bi₂O₃ has good shielding properties in low, intermediate, and high energy intervals.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2018.11a
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• pp.539-540
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• 2018

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.1943-1949
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• 2024

This study focuses on the comparative analysis of ABS polymer samples produced using two distinct manufacturing techniques: 3D printing and the sol-gel methods. In the first approach, ABS polymer was augmented with rare earth oxides, Er₂O₃ and Gd₂O₃, in nano powder form and fabricated into test specimens using 3D printing technology. In the second approach, identical samples were prepared via the sol-gel technique involving mold-based fabrication. Elemental content analysis revealed no significant differences between the samples produced by the two methods. The study proceeds to evaluate the gamma-ray shielding, neutron shielding, temperature resistance, and SEM/EDS pictures of ABS samples generated through both techniques. 3D printing method exhibited more favorable results in terms of structure morphology and thermal stability while there is no significant difference for radiation shielding. The results provide insights into the performance and suitability of each production method for radiation shielding applications. This research not only contributes to enhancing radiation shielding technology but also informs the selection of the most appropriate fabrication method for specific applications in nuclear technologies and diagnostic energy range in medical purposes.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.1633-1637
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• 2019

While considering the photon attenuation coefficient (${\mu}$) and its related parameters for photons shielding, it is necessary to account for its transmitted and reflected photons energy spectra and dose contribution. Monte Carlo simulation was used to study the efficiency of clay ($1.99g\;cm^{-3}$) as a shielding material below 150 keV photon. Am-241 gamma source and an X-ray of 150 kVp were calculated. The calculated value of ${\mu}$ for Am-241 is higher within 5.61% compared to theoretical value for a single-energy photon. The calculated half-value layer (HVL) is 0.9335 cm, which is lower than that of ordinary concrete for X-ray of 150 kVp. A thickness of 2 cm clay was adequate to attenuate 90% and 85% of the incident photons from Am-241 and X-ray of 150 kVp, respectively. The same thickness of 2 cm could shield the gamma source dose rate of Am-241 (1 MBq) down to $0.0528{\mu}Sv/hr$. For X-ray of 150 kVp, photons below 60 keV were significantly decreased with 2 cm clay and a dose rate reduction by ~80%. The contribution of reflected photons and dose from the clay is negligible for both sources.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.3051-3058
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• 2022

In the present work, untreated Iraqi sand with grain sizes varied between 100 and 200 ㎛ was used to produce a colored glass sample that has shielding features against the low gamma-ray energy. Therefore, a weight of 70-60 wt % sand was mixed with 9-14 wt% B₂O₃, 8-10 wt% Na₂O, 4-6 wt% of CaO, 3-6 wt% Al₂O₃, in addition to 0.3% of Co₂O₃. After melting and annealing the glass sample, the X-ray diffraction spectrometry was applied to affirm the amorphous phase of the fabricated glass samples. Moreover, the X-ray dispersive energy spectrometry was used to measure the chemical composition, and the MH-300A densimeter was applied to measure the fabricated sample's density. The Makishima-Makinzie model was applied to predict the mechanical properties of the fabricated glass. Besides, the Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the fabricated glass sample's radiation shielding capacity in the low-energy region between 22.1 and 160.6 keV. Therefore, the simulated linear attenuation coefficient changed between 10.725 and 0.484 cm^-1, raising the gamma-ray energy between 22.1 and 160.6 keV. Also, other shielding parameters such as a half-value layer, pure lead equivalent thickness, and buildup factors were calculated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2016.10a
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• pp.948-949
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• 2016

In this study, we perform the structure change of the shielding this is applied for gamma-ray detectors for imaging of gamma-ray source. Through previous studies, we implemented the commercially available gamma-ray imaging apparatus similar to the shielding body but weight reduction, center of gravity moving of shield. In this paper, we changed a shield for motion control detectors efficient movement. We performed the MCNP simulation of shield design and then we obtained the results of reducing the weight of the 17% and moving of center of gravity the shield center.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.9
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• pp.3545-3552
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• 2024

Polymers have become widely used substrate materials for shielding neutron rays because of their high hydrogen content and easy processing procedures. Rare-earth materials are also being gradually adopted as neutron absorbers because of their considerable thermal neutron absorption cross-sections. This paper utilizes the FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation program to compare the shielding effects of various polymers and rare-earth oxides on neutron rays across different energy ranges. The study investigates the superior shielding materials for neutron radiation in each energy range. Subsequently, a series of materials are simulated by combining the preferred shielding materials for neutron rays in each energy range, exploring the influence of material composition and composite structure on the effectiveness of neutron ray shielding. It is revealed that the preferred material for shielding neutron rays changes for different energy ranges. For low-energy neutron rays, rare-earth oxides such as Sm₂O₃ and Gd₂O₃ demonstrate the most effective shielding, whereas for high-energy neutron rays, polyethylene (PE) provides the best shielding performance. Materials with different compositions show varying preferred structures when dealing with a ²⁵²Cf neutron source. However, in mitigating the secondary gamma rays generated during the neutron shielding process, stacked-type materials exhibit the most effective shielding performance.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2324-2331
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• 2024

The current study investigated Saudi Arabian oil fly ash impacts on Egyptian clay bricks' structural and radiation shielding properties. To produce the required bricks, crushed clay minerals from the Hafafit area were mixed with 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 % wt.% Saudi Arabian oil fly ash and pressed at a pressure rate of 68.55 MPa. Identification of the minerals in the chosen clay was achieved via X-ray diffraction. Additionally, the material's morphology and chemical composition were determined through scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray. The fabricated bricks' density was reduced by 36.3 % through increasing the concentration of fly ash from 0 to 40 wt%. Then, the fly ash addition's influence on the fabricated clay bricks' γ-ray shielding properties was investigated by Monte Carlo simulation, which found a reduction in the fabricated bricks' linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) by 41.2, 36.0, 33.8, and 33.8 % at the 0.059, 0.103, 0.662, and 1.252 MeV γ-ray energies, respectively. The LAC reduction caused an increase in the fabricated bricks' half-value thickness, transmission factor, and the equivalent thickness of the lead. Moreover, the thicker fabricated sample thicknesses were found to have high γ-ray shielding capacity and can thus be used in radiation shielding applications.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.860-866
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• 2019

The lead element or its salts are good radiation shielding materials. However, their toxic effects are high. Due to less toxicity of bismuth salts, the radiation shielding properties of the bismuth salts have been investigated and compared to that of lead salts to establish them as a better alternative to radiation shielding material to the lead element or its salts. The transmission geometry was utilized to measure the mass attenuation coefficient (${\mu}/{\rho}$) of different salts containing lead and bismuth using a high-resolution HPGe detector and different energies (between 81 and 1333 keV) emitted from point sources of $^{133}Ba$, $^{57}Co$, $^{22}Na$, $^{54}Mn$, $^{137}Cs$, and $^{60}Co$. The experimental ${\mu}/{\rho}$ results are compared with the theoretical values obtained through WinXCOM program. The theoretical calculations are in good agreement with their experimental ones. The radiation protection efficiencies, mean free paths, effective atomic numbers and electron densities for the present compounds were determined. The bismuth fluoride ($BiF_3$) is found to have maximum radiation protection efficiency among the selected salts. The results showed that present salts are more effective for reducing the intensity of gamma photons at low energy region.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.1835-1841
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• 2019

The mass attenuation coefficient ${\mu}_m$ for eight rock samples having different chemical composition was simulated using the MCNP 5 code in energy range($0.002MeV{\leq}E{\leq}10MeV$). Moreover, the ${\mu}_m$ for the studied rock samples was computed theoretically using XCOM database. The comparison between simulated and computed data for all selected rock samples showed a good agreement with differences varied between 0.01 and 8%. The highest ${\mu}_m$ was found for basalt rocks M2 and M1 and the lowest one is reported for limestone rocks Dike. The simulated values of the ${\mu}_m$ then were used to calculate other important shielding parameters such as the mean free path, effective electron density and effective atomic number. The exposure buildup factor EBF was also computed for the selected rocks with the contribution of G-P fitting parameters and the highest EBF attended by the basalt sample Sill and varied between 1.022 and 744 in the energy range between ($0.015MeV{\leq}E{\leq}15MeV$) but the lowest EBF achieved by basalt sample M2 and varied between 1.017 and 491 in the same energy range.