Evaluation of Radiation Shielding Features of Co and Ni-Based Superalloys Using MCNP-5 Code: Potential Use in Nuclear Safety

• Main Authors: M. I. Sayyed, Faras Q. Mohammed, K. A. Mahmoud, Eloic Lacomme, Kawa M. Kaky, Mayeen Uddin Khandaker, Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: MCNP; SRIM; superalloys; γ-ray and neutron; shielding parameters
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/21/7680

Due to their excellent heat resistance, superalloys are used predominantly in the manufacturing of engine parts and accessories for aircraft and aerospace equipment. The Monte Carlo simulation (MCNP-5) code was performed to estimate the mean track length of the incident photons inside six different alloys. Then, based on the simulated track length, other important γ-ray shielding parameters were calculated. In this study, the highest mass attenuation coefficient was obtained for alloys encoded MAR-302 and MAR-247 and varied in the range 0.035–72.94 and 0.035–71.98 cm²·g⁻¹, respectively. The lowest mass attenuation coefficient was found for alloys coded Inconel-718 and Nimocast-75 with a range of 0.033–59.25 and 0.32–59.30 cm²·g⁻¹, respectively. Use was made of a recently developed online program Phy-X/PD to calculate the effective atomic number, equivalent atomic number, and the buildup factors for the alloys of interest. The effective removal cross-section for the fast neutron was also calculated for the studied alloys: the highest value was found for the alloys coded with Inconel-718 (∑_R = 0.01945 cm²·g⁻¹) and Nimocast-75 (∑_R = 0.01940 cm²·g⁻¹), and the lowest value was obtained for alloy coded MAR-302 (∑_R = 0.01841 cm²·g⁻¹). Calculated data indicate that MAR-302 and MAR-247 are superior candidates for shielding of gamma-rays, while Inconel-718 and Nimocast-75 MAR-302 are suitable for the shielding of fast neutrons.