Heavy metal oxide added glassy portable containers for nuclear waste management applications: In comparison with reinforced concrete containers

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the protective properties of Bi2O3 heavy metal oxide-doped glassy portable containers and the effect of reinforcement amount on these properties using the MCNPX (version 2.6.0) general-purpose Monte Carlo code. Accordingly, 60Co and 137Cs radioisotopes were defined as point isotropic radioactive sources to be transported with the newly designed containers. Four containers with different heavy metal oxide additives varying between 5% and 20% were designed and the deposited energy (MeV/g) values in the air were calculated for both 60Co and 137Cs radioisotopes. According to the findings of the first phase of the investigation, the sample (S4) with a 20% Bi2O3 additive ratio showed the highest protective properties and the least amount of deposited energy amount in the air. In the second and benchmarking phase of the investigation, we compared the amount of deposited energy in the air for the superior S4 glass container and a concrete container with a high amount of bitumen additive. The findings demonstrated that the S4 portable glass container with a 20% Bi2O3 reinforcement provided significantly lower deposited energy in the air and therefore greater nuclear safety than the concrete container. Heavy metal oxide-doped glass may be considered a viable choice for nuclear waste management and transportation operations due to its nuclear safety properties and superior physical, optical, and mechanical capabilities in comparison with concrete.