Gamma-ray exposure build-up factors of some brick materials in the state of Punjab

Abstract

The gamma-ray exposure build-up factors of raw materials of bricks (soils and fly-ashes) in the state of Punjab were investigated for the photon energy range 0.015 to 15 MeV up to 40 mfp penetration depth by the geometrical progression (GP) method. Appreciable variations in the exposure build-up factor (EBF) are noted for the raw materials. The EBFs of the raw materials of bricks change depending on the photon energy, penetration depth and chemical composition. The build-up factors are low at low and high photon energies, whereas they are very high in the medium-energy region. The peak energy of the EBF for soils is 0.3 MeV and 0.2 MeV for fly ashes. The EBFs of the raw materials of bricks are also compared with those of bricks of red mud and common brick materials. Common bricks were found to have the lowest gamma-ray EBF. This study should be useful for emergency preparedness planning and emergency dose estimation for future planned nuclear power plants in the state of Punjab. © EDP Sciences, 2013.