Investigation of the Radiation Shielding Properties of Black Pine Wood Impregnated with Boric Acid

Abstract

Aim of study: The present work is to investigate the radiation shielding properties of impregnated black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold subsp. pallasiana) wood material by measuring linear attenuations coefficient, mass attenuations coefficient, half value and tenth value layer thickness for different gamma energies from 5 keV to 1000 keV. Material and methods: The values of linear attenuation coefficient (1/cm), mass attenuation coefficient (cm2/g), half value and tenth value layer thickness of impregnated wood material were calculated in energy range between 5 to 1000 keV using the WinXCOM based Phy-X/PSD software and compared with concrete. Main results: It has been found that the linear attenuation coefficient and the mass attenuation coefficient of impregnated wood decrease as photon energy increases. But, half value layer and tenth value layer of impregnated wood increased as photon energy increased. As a result, it was found that the radiation shielding properties of wood increasing with boric acid impregnation. Highlights: The radiation shielding properties of impregnated wood are higher than pine wood because of its high density and chemical composition, which contains boron elements.