Radiation distribution through serpentine concrete using local materials and its application as a reactor biological shield

In the present work attempt has been made to estimate the shielding parameters of the new serpentine concrete (density = 2.4 g/cm(3)) using local materials on the shielding parameters for two types of heat resistant concretes, namely hematite-serpentine (density = 2.5 g/cm(3)) and ilmenite-limonite (density = 2.9 g/cm(3)). Shielding parameters for ordinary concrete (density = 2.3 g/cm(3)) were also discussed. These parameters were determined experimentally for serpentine concrete and compared with previously published values for other concretes, which had also been obtained using local materials. The leakage spectra of reactor fast neutrons and total gamma photon beams from cylindrical samples of these concrete shields were also investigated using a collimated beam from ET-RR-1 reactor. A neutron-gamma spectrometer was used in order to obtain pulse height spectra of reactor fast neutrons and the total gamma rays leakage through the investigated concrete samples. These spectra were utilized to obtain the energy spectra required in these investigations. Removal cross section Sigma(R)(E-n) and linear attenuation coefficient mu(E-g) for reactor fast neutrons and total gamma rays and their relative coefficients were evaluated and presented. Measured results were compared with those previously measured for other concretes. The results show that ilmenite-limonite concrete is a better reactor biological shield than the other three concretes. Serpentine concrete under investigation is a better reactor fast neutrons shield than ordinary and hematite-serpentine concretes. Serpentine concrete has a lower attenuation properties than the other three concretes as a reactor total gamma rays shields. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.