Abstract
The gamma-ray shielding ability of various Bentonite–Cement mixed materials from northeast Egypt have been examined by determining their theoretical and experimental mass attenuation coefficients, μm (cm2g−1), at photon energies of 59.6, 121.78, 344.28, 661.66, 964.13, 1173.23, 1332.5 and 1408.01 keV emitted from 241Am, 137Cs, 152Eu and 60Co point sources. The μm was theoretically calculated using the chemical compositions obtained by Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX), while a NaI (Tl) scintillation detector was used to experimentally determine the μm (cm2g−1) of the mixed samples. The theoretical values are in acceptable agreement with the experimental calculations of the XCom software. The linear attenuation coefficient (μ), mean free path (MFP), half-value layer (HVL) and the exposure buildup factor (EBF) were also calculated by knowing the μm values of the examined samples. The gamma-radiation shielding ability of the selected Bentonite–Cement mixed samples have been studied against other puplished shielding materials. Knowledge of various factors such as thermo-chemical stability, availability and water holding capacity of the bentonite–cement mixed samples can be analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the materials to shield gamma rays.
Highlights
Egypt is looking at nuclear technology to generate and improve the electric energy provided by the nuclear reactors at El Dabaa [1]
Using for the any previously software was utilized by inputting the chemical composition of the samples to calculate their mass attenuation coefficient
The uncertainty of the mass attenuation coefficient is estimated by the following equation: s σ μ m = μm ·
Summary
Egypt is looking at nuclear technology to generate and improve the electric energy provided by the nuclear reactors at El Dabaa [1]. Besides increasing the use of radioisotopes and photon-emitting tools in nuclear and industrial fields, it is necessary to examine the shielding capacity of gamma radiation shields for their use in construction, such as a bentonite–cement mixture. Bentonite material is such a clay used for building and construction purposes in different countries. Bentonite is a highly available composite material, proving to be cost-effective, environmentally friendly and non-toxic. These characristics make clay materials composite suitable for taking acount in shielding applications
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