Heat generation and corresponding rise in temperature due to absorption of thermal neutrons in several shielding materials

The evaluation of the heat generation and the corresponding rise in temperature of the absorption of thermal neutrons are carried out for some selected materials (water, ordinary concrete, heavy concrete, paraffin wax, graphite, lead and iron) The absorbed thermal flux is estimated by a simplified solution of the diffusion equation. The heat generation is considered to be the product of the macroscopic absorption cross-section of thermal neutrons by the corresponding thermal flux. Material thermal conductivity and the calculated heat generation then estimate the investigated rise in temperature.