Determination of gamma and fast neutron shielding parameters of magnetite concretes

In this study, some gamma shielding parameters such as mass attenuation coefficient (mu(rho)), effective atomic number (Z(eff)), electron density (N-el) and buildup factors have been investigated for concretes with and without magnetite aggregate. The measurements have been carried out using 1.25 MeV (mean energy of 1.1732 MeV and 1.3325 MeV photons of a Co-60 radioactive source) gamma photons. The theoretical values of mu(rho) have been calculated in the energy range from 1 key to 100 GeV by WinXCom computer code and these values were used in order to calculate the values of Z(eff) and N-el. And fast neutron shielding parameter namely effective removal cross-sections (Sigma(R), cm(-1)) have been calculated. In addition, Energy absorption buildup factors (EABF) and exposure buildup factors (EBF) values of concrete samples have been calculated for photon energy 0.015-15 MeV up to 40 mfp (mean free path) penetration depths. The results of this study showed that the magnetite concrete is more efficient than the ordinary concrete for fast neutrons and gamma rays. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.