Gamma Radiation and Neutron Shielding Properties of Fe-C-Si Based Alloys

Gamma radiation shielding parameters such as Mass Attenuation Coefficient (MAC), Linear Attenuation Coefficient (LAC), Mean Free Path (MFP), Half-Value Layer (HVL), Tenth Value Layer (TVL) and effective atomic numbers (Z_eff) of Fe-C-Si based alloys were studied theoretically using Phy-X/PSD software in the photon energy range of 1keV to 105 MeV. Neutron shielding parameter like Fast Neutron Removal Cross-Section (FNRCS) has also been studied for the selected alloys. Moreover, the MAC of the selected alloys was determined using XCOM program and compared with the Phy-X results for validation.  From the detailed study, it is found that MFP, HVL, TVL and Z_eff are minimum and MAC, LAC and FNRCS factors are maximum for fenriched alloy for all energies. Therefore, it is clear that Fe enriched alloy possesses good gamma radiation as well as neutron shielding properties among the studied alloys. This study should be useful for potential applications of these materials in nuclear installation and other industries for the choice of effective gamma-ray and neutron shielding materials.