Studies of radiation and protective properties of natural minerals in Vietnam

The costs of ensuring the protection of modern nuclear engineering installations account for a significant proportion (20-30%) of the total cost of construction.  Therefore, optimization of the composition of radiation protection materials is an important direction for minimizing protection costs while maintaining high performance indicators. Natural resources, the deposits of which are located near these facilities, make a significant contribution to reducing the cost of construction of nuclear power facilities. In modern radiation technologies, composite radiation protective materials (REM) with a matrix of glass, polymers, cement and other materials play a key role. The inclusion of various fillers in the matrix makes it possible to design the optimal composition of REM for specific irradiation conditions determined by the isotopic composition of radioactive contamination. Both natural materials and industrial waste can be used as fillers, which helps to solve the problem of their disposal. This article presents the results of computational and experimental studies of samples of natural minerals from the northern part of Vietnam. This research is part of a comprehensive project that has been implemented at the Department of Nuclear Power Plants and Renewable Energy of the Ural Federal University (UrFU) for more than 10 years. The project is aimed at studying the radiation-protective properties of natural minerals and industrial waste in order to assess their potential applicability as part of building materials for the protection of nuclear power plants. To study the calculation of the radiation-protective properties of minerals, the sample density was determined by the Archimedes method using the MH-300A density meter, the chemical composition was determined using X-ray fluorescence analysis in the laboratory of the Egyptian Nuclear Materials Administration (Cairo), the XCOM database was used. Experimental investigation of the shielding properties of the samples was carried out using the Robotron spectrometric installation. The results of the study of natural materials revealed samples of stones that can be used as a concrete filler in the construction of nuclear power plants and other nuclear power facilities in Vietnam, as well as clay for the manufacture of radiation protection blocks for prefabricated protection.

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