3 Factors Considered By A Radiation Shielding Expert

*This blog is part of a much larger pillar post.
Factors Considered by a Radiation Shielding Expert

Like we’ve mentioned before in our
previous blog posts, protecting you and your colleagues from radiation exposure is of utmost importance. 

Radiation shielding is important in a variety of industries, including (but not limited to) industrial, medical, academic, and defense. 

In this blog, we’ll discuss the most important factors our team considers when developing proper radiation shielding for our clients in order to ensure safety.

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1. The Type of Radiation Present

Identifying the type of radiation present serves as the foundation for everything. Varied forms of radiation attenuated with different types of materials.

For instance, concrete and lead is  effective to attenuate gamma radiation, but neutrons effectively attenuate using polyethylene, steel, or lead. 

Once we identify the type of radiation being omitted and a physics report is completed, our team is able to present different radiation shielding material options.

2. Radiation Shielding Materials

Choosing the proper material will allow you to conserve space and use less material. With the same shielding effectiveness, high-density concrete can roughly fit in half the space of normal concrete. 

When analyzing the space needs, it’s also crucial to consider a material’s flexibility. A flexible material, such as metal-impregnated polymers, may be more suited to protect a round object like a pipe since it may be snugly wrapped.

If you’d like a more comprehensive radiation shielding materials guide, check out this blog post.

It’s also very important to consider the budget of the project, as this greatly impacts the type of radiation shielding material that we’ll utilize.

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3. Space vs Affordability

When choosing the best shielding material for a work, cost is a crucial factor to take into account. In comparison, sand and concrete are a very affordable shielding material that takes up more space. On the other hand, lead and high density concrete is more expensive, but takes up less space. 

The cost-effectiveness of shipment, handling, and installation are also factors that should be taken into account in relation to price. For example, sand and concrete is more readily available near most job sites, requiring less transit to the jobsite. Lead and high density concrete bricks are extremely heavy and require long distance shipping to the job site.

If your budget isn’t as large, going with a sand or concrete installation may be the best course of action.

Closing

We hope this blog post gave you a bit of insight into the types of factors our team of radiation shielding experts consider when choosing the right solution for a project.

If you’d like to learn more about all things radiation shielding, check out our blog.

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Does your business need radiation shielding? Not sure where to start? Contact us.