A Monte Carlo Study on the Shielding Properties of a Novel Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)/WO3 Composite, Against Gamma Rays, Using the MCNPX Code
Journal Title: Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering - Year 2019, Vol 9, Issue 4
Abstract
Background: In recent years, there has been an increased interest toward nonlead radiation shields consisting of small-sized filler particles doped into polymer matrices. In this paper, we study a new polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/WO3 composite in the presence of high-energy gamma photons through simulation via the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) simulation code. Material and Methods: An MCNP geometry was first designed in the software based on real-life conditions, and the generated geometry was validated by calculating the mass attenuation coefficient and making relative comparisons with standard tables. Using the lattice card in the MCNP input file, WO3 was considered as a filler dispersed in a PVA polymer at sizes of 10 µm and 30 nm with a weight concentration of 50 wt%. By defining 106 -photons emitted from point sources corresponding to 662, 778, 964, 1112, 1170, 1130 and 1407 keV energy levels, and the F4 tally used to estimate the cell average flux, the values for mass attenuation coefficient and half-value layer (HVL) were calculated. Results: The results show that PVA/WO3 composite can be considered to shield X and γ-rays in the mentioned energies. However, nano-WO3 has a better ability to shield in comparison with the micro-WO3 fillers. The differences in attenuation changed at different energy levels, ascribed to the dominance of pair production occurrence and photon interactions in the composite, which was in good agreement with previous studies. Conclusion: Our finding showed that the composite can be considered as a leadfree shielding material. Citation: Kazemi F, Malekie S, Hosseini M. A. A Monte Carlo Study on the Shielding Properties of a Novel Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)/WO3 Composite, Against Gamma Rays, Using the MCNPX Code. J Biomed Phys Eng. 2019;9(4):465-472. https://doi.org/10.31661/jbpe.v0i0.1114.
Authors and Affiliations
M. A. Hosseini, F. Kazemi, S. Malekie
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP648054
- DOI -
- Views 94
- Downloads 0
Dosimetric Evaluation of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) Using AAPM TG 119 Protocol
Background: The commissioning accuracy of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) need to be evaluated. Objective: To test and evaluate commissioning accuracy of VMAT based on the TG 119 protocols at local institution. M...
Is Telomere Length a Biomarker of Adaptive Response in Space? Curious Findings from NASA and Residents of High Background Radiation Areas
Telomere length and stability is a biomarker of aging, stress, and cancer. Shortening of telomeres and high level of DNA damages are known to be associated with aging. Telomere shortening normally occurs during cell divi...
Evaluation of Lung Density and Its Dosimetric Impact on Lung Cancer Radiotherapy: A Simulation Study
Background: The dosimetric parameters required in lung cancer radiation therapy are taken from a homogeneous water phantom; however, during treatment, the expected results are being affected because of its inhomogeneity....
Dose Calculation Accuracy of Radiotherapy Treatment Planning Systems in Out-of-Field Regions
NO ABSTRACT
Monte Carlo Simulation of Siemens Primus plus Linac for 6 and 18 MV Photon Beams
Objective: The aim of the present study is to simulate 6 MV and 18 MV photon beam energies of a Siemens Primus Plus medical linear accelerator (Linac) and to verify the simulation by comparing the results with the measur...