shielding design & testing

In many facilities a key part of the restriction of exposure to ionising radiation is the use of installed radiation shielding. We have experience of designing installed shielding for many uses of ionising radiation, including linear accelerators, industrial radiography enclosures, calibration facilities and small laboratories. We have experience of many different shielding materials including normal and high density concrete, the use of steel plates and Ledite® blocks. We can advise on the applicability of instantaneous and cumulative dose constraints and provide recommendations regarding other safety features to complement the installed shielding.

Traditionally, the integrity of the installed shielding is not tested until the source to be used in the facility, e.g. linear accelerator (linac), has been installed or purchased. However, if the shielding is found to be inadequate or contain weaknesses at this point, then it is often difficult and costly to undertake remedial action. Aurora is able to offer a shielding testing service prior to the installation of the radiation source which will be used. We use a variety of sources in order to test structures, including mobile linear accelerators and more traditional non-destructive testing sources such as iridium-192 and selenium-75. This allows us to test shielding from a few mm lead up to more than 1.5m thick concrete and gives you peace of mind that the required shielding has been provided, before you start using the facility.