X-ray attenuation properties of stainless steel (u)

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2009

OSTI ID:990305

Wang, Lily L ^[1]; Berry, Phillip C ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory

Stainless steel vessels are used to enclose solid materials for studying x-ray radiolysis that involves gas release from the materials. Commercially available stainless steel components are easily adapted to form a static or a dynamic condition to monitor the gas evolved from the solid materials during and after the x-ray irradiation. Experimental data published on the x-ray attenuation properties of stainless steel, however, are very scarce, especially over a wide range of x-ray energies. The objective of this work was to obtain experimental data that will be used to determine how a poly-energetic x-ray beam is attenuated by the stainless steel container wall. The data will also be used in conjunction with MCNP (Monte Carlos Nuclear Particle) modeling to develop an accurate method for determining energy absorbed in known solid samples contained in stainless steel vessels. In this study, experiments to measure the attenuation properties of stainless steel were performed for a range of bremsstrahlung x-ray beams with a maximum energy ranging from 150 keV to 10 MeV. Bremsstrahlung x-ray beams of these energies are commonly used in radiography of engineering and weapon components. The weapon surveillance community has a great interest in understanding how the x-rays in radiography affect short-term and long-term properties of weapon materials.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 990305
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-09-03934; LA-UR-09-3934
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AGING
ATTENUATION
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
CONTAINERS
IRRADIATION
MONITORS
RADIOLYSIS
SIMULATION
STAINLESS STEELS
STOCKPILES
WEAPONS