Elastic moduli were theoretically computed using the Makishima–Mackenzie model for SiO₂–Na₂O–CaO glasses doped with Sb₂O₃ contents. The calculated elastic moduli (Young’s, bulk, shear, and longitudinal modulus) were observed to increase with an increase in the Sb₂O₃ contents. The microhardness showed an increase, while Poisson’s ratio decreased with the rise of the Sb₂O₃ contents. In addition, gamma-ray and neutron shielding parameters were evaluated for the investigated glasses. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) was simulated using the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code (MCNP-5). Other parameters, such as the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), transmission factor (TF), and half-value layer, were calculated based on the simulated LAC. The addition of Sb₂O₃ content was observed to enhance the investigated glasses’ shielding parameters, where the highest LAC was achieved for the SCNSb10 glass with 10 mol% Sb₂O₃ and decreased from 0.441 to 0.154 cm⁻¹ at gamma energies between 0.248 and 1.406 MeV. Furthermore, the fast neutron effective removal cross-section (∑_R) was computed theoretically. The calculated results showed that the highest ∑_R was equal to 0.0341 cm²g⁻¹ and was obtained for the SCNSb0 glass, which had no Sb₂O₃ content, while the lowest ∑_R was equal to 0.0286 cm² g⁻¹ for the SCNSb10 glass sample. The present work was carried out to examine the advantages of the soda–lime glasses with different Sb₂O₃ contents in several photon shielding applications, especially for radiation safety in nuclear installations.

An overview of the joint works undertaken by the specialists of Ural Federal University, the Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Reactor Materials (IRM) in certain areas of implementing the optimization principle in radiological protection of nuclear industry personnel is provided. The effectiveness and the capacity of using routing optimization when carrying out works in unsteady radiation fields (when relocating and dismantling equipment of radioactive systems) are evaluated. The results of works on designing the composition of homogeneous radiation-protective materials (RPM) and their capacity to implement the optimization principle in the planning of radiation-hazardous works, including by the example of AO IRM and in ion-selective treatment of liquid radioactive waste, are analyzed. The application of the optimization principle for individual personnel radiation risk management at AO IRM is discussed.

We aimed, in this investigation, to prepare novel concretes which can be used in gamma-ray shielding applications. The experimental approach was performed using a NaI (Tl) detector to measure the concrete’s shielding features for different energies, ranging from 0.081 MeV to 1.408 MeV. The density of the fabricated concretes decreased with increasing W/C ratio, where the density decreased by 2.680 g/cm³, 2.614 g/cm³, and 2.564 g/cm³ for concretes A, B, and C, respectively, with increases in the W/C ratio of 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8, respectively. When the energy was elevated between 0.08 MeV and 1.408 MeV, the highest values were attained for concrete A, with values ranging between 0.451 cm⁻¹ and 0.179 cm⁻¹. The lowest half-value layer (Δ_0.5) values were achieved for concrete C, where the Δ_0.5 values varied between 1.53 cm and 3.86 cm between 0.08 MeV and 1.408 MeV. The highest Δ_0.5 values were achieved for concrete A, where the Δ_0.5 varied between 1.77 cm and 4.67 cm between 0.08 MeV and 1.408 MeV. According to this investigation, concrete A has the highest promise in radiation shielding purposes because it has the most desirable properties of the concretes studied.

The significance of optimizing the content of components of a radiation-protective material, which is determined by the isotopic composition of radioactive contamination, depending on the reactor...