Gamma-ray mass attenuation coefficient and half value layer factor of some oxide glass shielding materials

The variation in dosimetric parameters such as mass attenuation coefficient, half value layer factor, exposure buildup factor, and the photon mean free path for different oxide glasses for the incident gamma energy range 0.015-15 MeV has been studied using MicroShield code. It has been inferred that the addition of PbO and Bi2O3 improves the gamma ray shielding properties. Thus, the effect of chemical composition on these parameters is investigated in the form of six different glass compositions, which are compared with specialty concrete for nuclear radiation shielding. The composition termed 'Glass 6' in this paper has the highest mass attenuation and the smallest half value layer and may have potential applications in radiation shielding. An example dry storage cask utilizing an additional layer of Glass 6 as an intermediate shielding layer, simulated in MicroShield, is capable of reducing the exposure rate at the cask surface by over 20 orders of magnitude compared to the case without a glass layer. Based on this study, Glass 6 shows promise as a gamma-ray shielding material, particularly for dry cask storage.