Evaluation of neutron shielding performance of cementless binder manufactured with desalination reject brine

Abstract

This study investigated the feasibility of desalination reject brine as a new water resource for the nuclear construction industry by evaluating the thermal neutron shielding properties of Ca(OH)(2)-Na2CO3-activated fly ash (FA-NC) binder manufactured with reject brine since the high chloride concentration is believed to promote neutron shielding performance. High Cl- concentration encouraged rapid and greater early-age strength development of FA-NC binder mixed with reject brine, which is the main mechanism of the accelerator. A series of chemical and microstructural analyzes were conducted, namely, XRD, TG, and MIP tests, to investigate the influence of the reject brine. The use of reject brine remarkably improved the thermal neutron attenuation performance of the FA-NC binder and achieved 98.76 % of thermal neutron shielding efficiency. Furthermore, the reject brine provided an increased efficacy in fast neutron attenuation. To further analyze the practical application potential, a 190 x 90 x 57 mm sized brick sample was made using rejected brine mixed FA-NC binder and tested with the followings: water absorption and TCLP.