# A comparative Monte Carlo simulation study on shielding features of the CaF2–CaO–B2O3–P2O5–SrO–Ta2O5 glass system against X-ray by GEANT4 and MCNPX codes

## TL;DR

This study compares the X-ray shielding properties of a specific glass system using two simulation codes and finds the best-performing sample.

## Contribution

The study evaluates and compares the shielding performance of a novel glass system using GEANT4 and MCNPX simulations.

## Key findings

- GEANT4 and MCNPX codes show good compatibility in calculating MAC values for the glass samples.
- The Ta3 sample of the glass system is identified as the best X-ray shield among the tested samples.
- At 40 keV, the MAC values from simulations differ by less than 8% compared to Phy-X/PSD results.

## Abstract

Regarding to their unique physical and mechanical features, glasses and glass–ceramics are suitable materials for shielding purposes. The present study evaluates the shielding properties of the CaF2–CaO–B2O3–P2O5–SrO–Ta2O5 glass system using Monte Carlo GEANT4 and MCNPX codes for X-ray radiations with an energy range of 20 to 100 keV. MAC values of the Ta0, Ta1, Ta2, Ta2.5, and Ta3 samples of the CaF2–CaO–B2O3–P2O5–SrO–Ta2O5 glass were computed using Phy-X/PSD, GEANT4, and MCNPX codes and compared. According to the results, the programs have good compatibility with each other. For instance, in the energy of 40 keV and for the Ta2 sample, GEANT4 and MCNP codes are 1.445765406 and 1.517801204 cm2/g, respectively, indicating 7.419529525 and 2.829628418% differences with 1.562 cm2/g obtained using the Phy-X/PSD software. According to recent estimations, the Ta3 sample of the CaF2–CaO–B2O3–P2O5–SrO–Ta2O5 glass system can be selected as the best shield compared with the other samples.