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Related Concept Videos

Nuclear Power02:36

Nuclear Power

Controlled nuclear fission reactions are used to generate electricity. Any nuclear reactor that produces power via the fission of uranium or plutonium by bombardment with neutrons has six components: nuclear fuel consisting of fissionable material, a nuclear moderator, a neutron source, control rods, reactor coolant, and a shield and containment system.
Nuclear Fuels
Nuclear fuel consists of a fissile isotope, such as uranium-235, which must be present in sufficient quantity to provide a...
Nuclear Fission02:50

Nuclear Fission

Many heavier elements with smaller binding energies per nucleon can decompose into more stable elements that have intermediate mass numbers and larger binding energies per nucleon—that is, mass numbers and binding energies per nucleon that are closer to the “peak” of the binding energy graph near 56. Sometimes neutrons are also produced. This decomposition of a large nucleus into smaller pieces is called fission. The breaking is rather random with the formation of a large number of different...
Diamagnetic Shielding of Nuclei: Local Diamagnetic Current01:14

Diamagnetic Shielding of Nuclei: Local Diamagnetic Current

An applied magnetic field causes the electrons present in the molecule to circulate, setting up a local diamagnetic current within the molecule. The local diamagnetic current arising from circulating sigma-bonding electrons induces a magnetic field, Blocal that opposes the applied magnetic field, B0. The effective magnetic field experienced by these nuclei is given by the difference between the applied and local magnetic fields in a phenomenon called local diamagnetic shielding. Essentially,...
Nuclear Transmutation03:20

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed protons being...
Preplaced Aggregate Concrete01:29

Preplaced Aggregate Concrete

Preplaced aggregate concrete is ideal for construction environments that are not easily accessible. The process begins by properly wetting the gap-graded coarse aggregates to remove the dirt, then placing it in the form and compacting it. Voids are filled with a mortar mix pumped under pressure through slotted pipes. This mortar typically consists of Portland cement, pozzolan, fine aggregates, water, and a fluidizing aid. The pozzolan helps reduce bleeding and segregation while improving the...
Types of Radioactivity03:23

Types of Radioactivity

The most common types of radioactivity are α decay, β decay, γ decay, neutron emission, and electron capture.
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:

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Concrete enclosure for shielding a neutron source.

H R Vega-Carrillo1, L E Villagrana-Muñoz, E Rivera-Perez

  • 1Unidad Académica de Estudios Nucleares de la Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, C. Ciprés 10, Fracc. La Peñuela, 98068 Zacatecas, Zac., Mexico. fermineutron@yahoo.com

Applied Radiation and Isotopes : Including Data, Instrumentation and Methods for Use in Agriculture, Industry and Medicine
|June 1, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Shielding for a plutonium-beryllium (PuBe) neutron source was designed using Monte Carlo simulations. Concrete thickness effectively reduces neutron dose and softens the spectrum, informing shielding design.

Keywords:
(239)PuBeConcreteIsotopic neutron sourceMonte CarloNeutronShielding

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Measurements of Soil Carbon by Neutron-Gamma Analysis in Static and Scanning Modes
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Area of Science:

  • Nuclear Engineering
  • Radiation Shielding
  • Computational Physics

Background:

  • Designing effective shielding for isotopic neutron sources like plutonium-beryllium (PuBe) is crucial for radiation safety.
  • Understanding neutron transport and energy spectrum is essential for optimizing shielding materials and configurations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design shielding for a 0.185 TBq (239)PuBe isotopic neutron source.
  • To investigate the impact of concrete shielding thickness on neutron spectra and ambient dose equivalent.
  • To determine the effectiveness of Portland type concrete for neutron attenuation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized MCNP5 code for Monte Carlo simulations.
  • Modeled a point-like PuBe source in vacuum and a realistic source within an enclosed space.
  • Calculated neutron spectra and ambient dose equivalent at various distances and with different concrete wall thicknesses (5-80 cm).

Main Results:

  • Observed room-return effect inside the enclosure, where neutron spectra below 0.5 MeV remained constant.
  • Neutron spectra above 0.5 MeV decreased with distance from the source.
  • Increasing concrete thickness softened the neutron spectrum and reduced the mean neutron energy, leading to an attenuation curve for ambient dose.

Conclusions:

  • Portland type concrete effectively attenuates neutrons from a PuBe source.
  • Shielding design can be optimized based on the calculated attenuation curve and spectral changes.
  • The study provides valuable data for designing safe and efficient shielding for PuBe neutron sources.