Evaluation of gamma ray and neutron attenuation capability of thermoplastic polymers

Chaitali V More; Hoda Alavian; Pravina P Pawar

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109884

Evaluation of gamma ray and neutron attenuation capability of thermoplastic polymers

Appl Radiat Isot. 2021 Oct:176:109884. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109884. Epub 2021 Jul 31.

Authors

Chaitali V More¹, Hoda Alavian², Pravina P Pawar³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, 431004, Maharashtra, India. Electronic address: chaitalimore89@gmail.com.
² Faculty of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran.
³ Department of Physics, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, 431004, Maharashtra, India.

PMID: 34358917
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109884

Abstract

The fast neutron and gamma ray attenuation capability of the most common thermoplastic polymers used in nuclear applications has been evaluated theoretically. Monte Carlo simulation has been used to compute the gamma-ray energy absorption buildup factor in the energy range 0.015-15 MeV at penetration depths up to 40 MFP. The results of MCNPX calculations have been validated against the results derived from the Geometric Progression fitting method. To evaluate neutron attenuation performance of the polymers, the fast neutron removal cross-section has been determined using theoretical database. Despite the superior ability of polysulfone and poly (ether sulfone) in gamma ray attenuation, high-density polyethylene has been found to have the best fast neutron removal ability among all. The detailed insights into the fast neutron and gamma ray shielding properties of selected polymers in the present work might have great potential applications in nuclear systems.

Keywords: Buildup factor; Fast neutron removal cross-section; G-P fitting; MCNPX; Mixed neutron–gamma radiation field.