Application of ceramics for neutron shielding. Proposal of multi-functional shielding materials

Radiation shielding is one of the fundamental technologies to ensure the safety of the nuclear plants. Particularly for the nuclear systems as the power plants of ships and undersea vehicles, radiation shielding should be achieved within limited space and weight. Ceramics are of great interest as shielding components, because they can be composed with a wide variation of elements that have different shielding specifications. They are also known as good structural materials at high temperatures. Therefore, ceramics may be promising as 'multi-functional' shielding materials. In the present study, neutron shielding effects are first investigated by a series of the experiments using a 252Cf neutron source and simulated by using Monte Carlo Code MCNP 4A. The role of each ceramics is discussed particularly in terms of the 'enhancement effect' by medium-heavy elements, such as chromium and titanium. As an advanced technique to evaluate the thermal shock resistance of the materials, a laser irradiation method is proposed and applied to those ceramics that are expected to be neutron shielding components. Detailed discussion is made on the effects of porosity and multiple irradiation resulting in a fatigue-like behavior. Based on the results of these experiments and simulations, a three-layered arrangement, consisting of chromium carbide, titanium boride and boron nitride, is proposed as a multi-functional shielding material that minimizes the dose-equivalent rate and also exhibits good thermal shock resistance. (author)