A comparative study of gamma radiation shielding parameters for sodium silicate glass containing bismuth, barium and lead oxide in the energy range (0.6 – 1.5 MeV)

Abstract

This research focused on studying various parameters of radiation shielding, including Linear Attenuation Coefficient (LAC), Mass Attenuation Coefficient (MAC), Mean Free Path (MFP), Half-Value Layer (HVL), Tenth Value Layer (TVL), Effective Atomic Number (Zeff), and Effective Electron Density (Neff). The simulations were conducted using the PHY-X/PSD simulation program at energies of 0.662, 1.17, and 1.33 MeV for two compounds of bismuth and barium silicates (S1 and S2) with different weight percentages, as well as a bismuth and lead silicate compound (S3) with the following compositions:
S1: 12Bi2O3 12BaO 40SiO2 20ZnO 16Na2SO4, S2: 12Bi2O3 12PbO2 40 SiO2 20ZnO 16 Na2SO4, S3: 30Bi2O3 30BaO 30 SiO2 5ZnO 5 Na2SO4. Radiation interactions with the material were calculated using the X-COM program in a specified energy range ranging from 0.6 to 1.5 MeV. This range includes selected energy values commonly used in radiation therapy and scientific research, typically emitted by cobalt-60 and cesium-137. The results indicated that all attenuation parameters for sample S1 were close to those of sample S2 at the specified energies. With an increase in the concentration of bismuth and barium in sample S3, relative to other oxides, the results were better compared to samples S1 and S2. This suggests that environmentally friendly lead-free glass shielding systems can be manufactured using high-concentration bismuth and barium oxide glass to avoid toxic effects associated with lead.