Gamma-ray attenuation study for the soils of Bursa, Turkey, in the energy range 59.5-1332.5 keV

Abstract

In this study, the gamma radiation attenuation was experimentally investigated for soil samples with different texture collected from Bursa Province, Turkey. Firstly, physical and chemical properties (e.g., density, particle size distribution, lime content, organic matter and chemical composition) of these soils were determined by several methods. The transmission measurements of soils performed by using Am-241, Cs-137, Co-60 and Na-22 sources and 2 x 2 inch NaI(Tl) scintillation detector were used to calculate shielding parameters, mass attenuation coefficient, half value layer and tenth value layer values, of these samples in form of pressed powder pellets. The values of these important parameters have been found to vary with gamma-ray energy and chemical composition of the studied soil samples. For instance, the mass attenuation coefficients were decreased with increasing gamma-ray energies and, with the increase in contribution of MgO and Na components, caused better absorption. The effect of compression pressure on attenuation coefficient was also investigated, and better absorption was observed for the sample pressed by high value of press force.