Scientists Have Developed a New Material for Rapidly Constructed Protection at Nuclear Power Plants

12:38, June 14, 2024

The product is able to withstand high thermal loads

New bricks developed by a group of UrFU scientists, including a PhD student from Vietnam and a specialist from the Egyptian Nuclear Materials Authority, are highly resistant to radiation. The material was developed from Vietnamese red clay and metal waste from Ural metallurgical enterprises. Scientists note that such a composition made it possible to achieve a high level of protection against radiation. According to the researchers, the new bricks will be useful for creating fences on the premises of nuclear power plants during repairs and other works, such as modernization. The scientists published detailed information about the new material, its structure and properties in Nuclear Engineering and Technology.

"Our bricks are designed to create fast-erecting structures. A typical situation is quite realistic and frequent - a room in a nuclear power plant is being renovated and contains equipment with highly radioactive substances. To protect people from radiation, it is possible to build a wall of our bricks around the source of radiation. Unlike other materials, such as concrete blocks, our bricks are light, can be carried by hand, and are perfect for creating fences of any configuration and size, including in rooms with non-standard layouts. And then, after completion of repair works in the NPP, the construction can be quickly dismantled. If no radioactive contaminants, such as water, get on the bricks during the repair work, they can be used again. In addition, there is a practice of packing similar protective blocks in polyethylene, which can be easily deactivated if necessary", explains Oleg Tashlykov, Professor of the Department of Nuclear Power Plants and Renewable Energy Sources at UrFU.

The new material consists of Vietnamese red clay and metal waste in a ratio of 30:70. Scientists note that the cost of the bricks will be very low, as clay is one of the most widely available and cheapest natural minerals. The use of metal waste, which is produced in large quantities by industrial enterprises in the Urals, will make it possible to use it in a useful way.

"Metal wastes of the fine fraction have good shielding properties, i.e. the ability to block the penetration of radiation through them. Clay is used as a matrix, i.e. a binder. In addition, clay is resistant to high temperatures, which means that bricks made of this material can be used to shield equipment exposed to high temperatures - several hundred degrees", explains Oleg Tashlykov.

Despite the fact that Vietnamese red clay was used for the study, scientists note that the Urals clay material will also be suitable for the production of radiation-resistant bricks. Experts are already studying different types of Urals clay and choosing which of them will be more suitable for brick production.

"Today we are conducting research on diatomaceous earth from deposits near Kamyshlov in the Sverdlovsk region. We have already made the first experimental samples of bricks based on diatomite, and in the near future we will conduct a study to determine their radiation resistance. We are also studying halloysite, a clay mineral that is found in the Chelyabinsk region. Halloysite has a special tubular nanostructure - we assume that with such a structure the shielding properties of the substance will be even higher", concludes Oleg Tashlykov.

Sergey Lukyanchenko

The news article was translated by UrFU International Marketing Office.
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