Radial. Phys. Chem. Vol. 44, No. 112, pp.

161-167, 1994
Copyright 0 1994 Elsevier Science Ltd
Pergamon Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
0969-806X/94 $6.00 + 0.00

STUDIES OF RADIATION PENETRATION AND EFFECT

OF AIR VOIDS IN BULK CONCRETE SHIELD
CONFIGURATIONS

W. A. KANSOUH

Reactor and Neutron Physics Department, Nuclear Research Center, AEA, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract-Experimental measurements have been carried out to study the effect of air-filled voids on
y-rays and slow neutron distributions through multilayer assemblies. It has been found that the presence
of the air-filled voids increases the y doses and also the slow neutron fluxes both along the void axis and
pependicular to it. Also, we can see that this increase is marked more as the air-filled void diameter
increases. The concrete assembly was placed in front of one of the horizontal channels of the ET-RR-1
reactor (2MW). Gamma-rays and the slow neutron distributions were measured using LiF-7 and LiF-6
TLD dosimeters, respectively.

INTRODUCTION design. In addition, the most accurate methods avail-

One of the most serious problems which faces the
reactor shield designer is that of radiation streaming
through ducts and voids in the shield. The irregular-
ities in shields can also create a problem when the
radiation includes neutrons, due to the fact that
neutrons can undergo many scatterings without being
absorbed or degraded in energy. Furthermore, neu-
trons can introduce new sources of y-rays due to
inelastic scattering and neutron capture.
Irregularities in shield construction lead to impreci-
sion and a lack of confidence in the prediction of
radiation attenuation and penetration during shield
able for shielding calculations lose their validity when
the shield contains such irregularities.
A compilation of a large amount of published work
has appeared which deals with the problem of radi-
ation transmission along air-filled ducts and voids.
Only a small amount of this work is devoted to the
study of the effect of such irregularities on the
distribution of radiation in the surrounding medium.
In the present work an investigation of the effect of
single cylindrical air-filled voids of different diameters
on the distribution of y-rays and slow neutrons
in multilayer shielding assemblies has been carried
out.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R 9

\\ 4\ 11

I- Reactor core 7 - Collimator, 14 cm diameter

2 - Water cooling 8 - Water tank

3 - Cast-iron wall 9 - Air filled void

4 - concrete wall of reactor 10 - Iron slaps

5 - Experimental channel 11 - Investigated concrete blocks

6 - Channel rotating gates 12 - Regulator for cassette height

Fig. 1. The schematic diagram of the experimental layout.

161
 162 w. A. KANSOUH

(A) R (cm) (B) (Cl

104

103 _ 10h

_
A 102 105
R (cm) R (cm)
,’
E
10' lo4
2
:
-0

10” 103
;
E

10-1 102

10’

10”
I I I I i 1
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 0 20 40 60 x0 100 120

Z (cm)
Fig. 2. Total y dose distributions in a multilayer shield consisting of 20 cm ordinary water + 5 cm
iron + 120 cm ilmenite concrete: (A) without void; (B) with 5.8 cm air filled void; (C) with 10 cm air filled
void.

EXPERIMENTAL block contains, in its centre, a cylindrical air-filled

void with diameter 10 cm and length 40 cm.
Slow neutron and y-ray dose distributions have To change the cylindrical air-filled void diameter to
been measured through two different assemblies of a
5.8 or 2.9 cm, cylindrical removal plugs were used.
multilayer shield containing cylindrical air-filled These plugs were formed of two concentric Al cylin-
voids have diameters 2.9, 5.8 and 10 cm. The assem- ders (0.1 cm thick) and the space in between was filled
blies of the multilayer are arranged in the following with identical concrete. The plugs were inserted in the
form: initial central hole of 1Ocm to construct voids of
(a) Ordinary concrete assembly: 120 x 120 x diameters 5.8 and 2.9 cm. The void axis is concentric
20 cm water, 120 x 120 x 5cm iron and with the reactor beam axis.
120 x 120 x 120 cm ordinary concrete of den- The laminated shield under investigation was ar-
sity 2.3 g/cm3. ranged in front of one of the horizontal channels of
(b) llmenite concrete assembly: 120 x 120 x 20 cm the ET-RR-l reactor working at full power (2 MW).
water, 120x 12Ox5cm iron and 120x Measurements were carried out at different R dis-
I20 x 120 cm ordinary concrete of density tances perpendicular to the beam direction and for
406 g/cm’. different Z distances along the beam direction.
Gamma-ray doses were measured using LiF-7
The construction of this multilayer shielding as- Teflon disc TLD dosimeters, while the neutron distri-
sembly has been chosen so as to simulate the arrange- butions were measured using LiF-6 Teflon disc
ment in a real nuclear station. For example, the dosimeters. The contribution of the ;s-rays to the
ordinary water layer, the iron layer and the concrete LiF-6 dose was determined experimentally and sub-
layer were chosen to simulate the moderator. thermal tracted by using LiF-7 in order to get the neutron
shield and the biological shield, respectively. The response. A ZnS(Ag) scintillator was used as a moni-
water layer was contained in an Al tank of 3 mm tor to detect the reactor power variations during the
thickness. The iron layer consisted of fine sheets of experiment.
iron with dimensions 120 x 120 x I cm and in con-
tact with each other. The concrete layer was com-
posed of three blocks of concrete. each of dimension RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

120 x 120 x 40 cm arranged in close contact, Each

Determination of’ the avid qfikct
concrete block contains two holes separated by a
distance of 20 cm, depth 60 cm and width 2 cm for From measurements of the y-rays and slow neu-
insertion of the detector holders. The middle concrete tron distributions carried out through the multilayer
 Studies of radiation penetration and effect 163

(A) (B)
10’ -.
104 :\*
106
-.
-.
105 R (cm)
103

s?
” :;
t /:I:0 4 3 = 15
4 = 20
5 104
2
’ l _/,‘,::‘,
;;
.a 102
: 103

d
102
10’

10’

100 -
I 1 I I
100
U 20 40 60 80 100 120 0 20 40 60 80 100 120

((3 CD)

104
R (cm)
104
,1=5

103
” 103
t
.s
:
g 102 102
rj

s
s

10’ 10’

I I I I I I 100
I I I I I
100
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 U 20 40 60 80 100 120

Z (cm) Z (cm)

Fig. 3. Total y dose distributions in a multilayer shield consisting of 20cm ordinary water + 5 cm
iron + 120 cm ordinary concrete: (A) without void; (B) with 2.9 cm air filled void; (C) with 5.8 cm air filled
void; (D) with IOcm air filled void.
164 W. A. KANSOUH

R (cm)
(A) (B) R (cm)
1=5
lo6 c 2= 10
3 = 15
l\
_
4 = 20
105 5 = 25
6 = 30

104 t

103

102

IO’

100 -
I I I I I I
,I 20 40 60 80 100 120 0 20 40 60 X0 100 120

R (cm) R (cm)
CC) CD)
,1=5

106

IO5

104

103

102

10’

100
I I I I I I
0 20 40 60 X0 ll10 I20 0 20 40 60 80 1OII I20

Z (cm) Z (cm)

Fig. 4. Slow neutrons distribution on a multilayer shield consisting of 20cm ordinary water + 5 cm
iron + l20cm ordinary concrete: (A) without void; (B) with 2.9cm air filled void; (C) with 5.8 cm air filled
void; (D) with IOcm air filled void.
 Studies of radiation penetration and effect 165

, (A) R (cm) , PI R (cm)

106

105

104

103

102

10’

100 -
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 0 20 40 60 80 100 120

(Cl P) R (cm)
R (cm)
10h 106

105 105
c
.=:
5
2 104 lo4
2
2

2 103 103
2
a

2
102 102

10’ 10’

100
I I I I I I I I I I I I
10”
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 ” 20 40 60 80 100 120

Z (cm) Z (cm)

Fig. 5. Slow neutrons distribution on a multilayer shield consisting of 20 cm ordinary water + 5 cm

iron + 120 cm ilmenite concrete: (A) without void; (B) with 2.9 cm air filled void: (C) with 5.8 cm air filled
void: (D) with IOcm air filled void.
166 W. A. KANSOUH

(A) This increase could be due to the radiation being

composed of a streaming component and a reflected
Void diameter (cm) component and the scattered radiation from the walls
1 = 2.9 cm of the void and the shield (leakage component). The
2 = 5.8 cm increase in dose at positions perpendicular to the void
3= IOcm axis (R-direction) could be due to the scattered
radiation from the walls of the void and to a leakage

c
L
10
8
6
4
2

Void diameter(cm)

!t L

50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

Z (cm)

(B) 8-

Void diameter (cm)

1 = 5.8 cm
0 I I I I I I
1 60 70 80 90 IO0 I ItI 11-o 1311
I
Z (cm)
i

2 (B)
Y
1 Void diameter (cm)
I = 2.9 cm
0
1 2 = 5.8 cm
6 3 = IO cm
2
8
4i

ok
2
x
?
i
60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130

Fig. 6. Void effect in case of total y doses along the void

centerline for a shielding assembly consisting of: (A) 20 cm
ordinary water + 5 cm iron + 120 cm ordinary concrete; (B)
20 cm ordinary water + 5 cm iron + 120 cm ilmenite con-
crete.

‘60 70 X0 YO 1llll I IO 121) I30

shielding assemblies under investigation, it is clear
that the air-filled voids cause an increase in the doses
outside the void both along the void centreline (Z-
direction) and perpendicular to it (R-direction) as
compared with that for solid concrete. The maximum
increase of dose is along the void axis (Z-direction).
2 (cm)
Fig. 7. Void effect in case of slow neutrons along the void
centerline for a shielding assembly consisting oT: (A) 20 cm
ordinary water + 5 cm iron + I20 cm ordinary concrctc; (B)
20 cm ordinary water + 5 cm iron + 120 cm ilmcnite con-
Crete
 Studies of radiation penetration and effect
component. The increase of radiation due to the
presence of cylindrical air-filled voids can be
evaluated by calculating the void effect. It is taken as
the ratio between the dose rate in the presence of the
void 4” to the corresponding value for the solid
concrete &. The void effect on the total y-ray
doses and slow neutron flux distributions along
the void axis (Z-direction) and for different R-
values for ordinary and ilmenite multilayer con-
crete shield assemblies, are shown in Figs 6 and 7,
respectively. From the figures we notice that the
void effect becomes more pronounced in the case
of the ilmenite concrete multilayer shield assembly
due to the large attenuation properties of the
solid ilmenite concrete for both y-rays and slow
neutrons.
167
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