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Radioactive Attenuation Using Different Types of Natural Rocks.
S A Abd El-Azeem1,2, Nareman M Harpy3
1Physics Department, College of Sciences and Humanities, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 27, 2024
Summary
Basalt exhibits superior radiation shielding properties among natural rocks. Increasing basalt thickness enhances its attenuation efficiency for radioactive elements, offering effective environmental protection.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Physics
- Materials Science
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Nuclear technology offers benefits but produces harmful radiation.
- Radiation leakage poses risks to human health and the environment.
- Effective radiation shielding is crucial for safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the radioactive attenuation properties of natural rocks.
- To determine shielding parameters like mass attenuation coefficients (μm), HVL, TVL, and MFP.
- To assess the potential of natural rocks as radiation shielding materials.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a NaI(Tl) detector to measure attenuation properties.
- Determined mass attenuation coefficients (μm) across various photon energies.
- Validated experimental μm values against theoretical XCOM calculations.
- Measured concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive elements (U, Ra, Th, K).
Main Results:
- Basalt samples demonstrated superior shielding performance compared to other tested rocks.
- Experimental μm values showed good agreement with theoretical XCOM calculations.
- Increased thickness of Basalt-AZ (1.5 cm to 2 cm) improved attenuation percentage by approximately 11%.
Conclusions:
- Natural rocks, particularly basalt, show significant potential for radiation shielding applications.
- Understanding radioactive element concentrations is key to assessing environmental hazard indices.
- Optimizing shielding material thickness, like basalt, can enhance attenuation efficiency.
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