Radiation Shielding Solutions

Our expertise with a broad array of dose reduction challenges helps solve the difficult radiation shielding situations a Radiation Protection Manager or Technician will encounter. From emergent radiological issues to large scale refueling outages, we can recommend and custom manufacture the best shielding solution for your specific needs. 

The reduction of radiation doses is complex from start to finish and can be a challenge not only at the beginning of operation but also during maintenance periods, naturally high radiation zones and accidents or emergency situations. Here are some ways those challenges arise: 

• Operational Complexity and Maintenance 
  • Routine Exposure During Maintenance: Workers performing maintenance, inspections, or repairs often need to enter areas where radiation levels are higher. This can lead to additional occupational radiation exposure. 
  • Decommissioning Activities: During the decommissioning of old plants or components, dismantling radioactive materials presents significant radiation hazards. 
  • Wear and Tear on Equipment: As plants age, equipment may degrade and require more frequent repairs, increasing worker exposure to radiation. 

• High-Radiation Zones 
  • Radiation Hotspots: Certain areas within the plant, such as reactor cores, spent fuel pools, and coolant systems, can have elevated radiation levels that make minimizing exposure difficult. 
  • Design Limitations: Older nuclear plants may not have been designed with modern dose reduction strategies in mind, such as shielding, remote operations, or automated maintenance. 

• Radiation Contamination from Accidents 
  • Potential for Leaks or Spills: Even minor leaks or spills of radioactive materials can significantly increase the exposure risk for workers and the environment. 
  • Accidental Releases During Normal Operations: Routine operations, such as fuel handling, can sometimes result in small, unintentional releases of radioactive materials, posing challenges in managing overall dose exposure. 

• Human Exposure During Emergency Situations 
  • Limited Time for Protective Measures: In emergency situations, such as a system malfunction or potential radiation leak, workers may need to act quickly before full radiation shielding or protective protocols can be implemented, increasing exposure risk. 
  • Evacuation and Shelter-In-Place Challenges: Evacuation protocols need to be robust, as delays in decision-making or execution can expose workers and nearby communities to higher doses. 

 In many of these situations, additional radiation shielding such as lead-free radiation shielding including Tungsten shielding and Bismuth shielding, can improve and work towards minimizing the dose reduction challenges. 

Whether you are working in the nuclear power plant industry, in a medical facility, oil and gas industry, military or more, a large part of radiation shielding happens with lead blankets. Such common areas utilizing radiation shielding blankets are: 

• Medical Imaging and Treatment: 
  • X-rays and CT Scans: Tungsten blankets shield parts of the body not being imaged, protecting patients and technicians from unnecessary radiation exposure. 
  • Radiation Therapy: During cancer treatments like radiotherapy, lead blankets are used to protect healthy tissue surrounding the targeted treatment area. 

• Nuclear Power Plants: 
  • Routine Maintenance and Operations: Workers performing repairs or maintenance near radioactive materials use lead blankets to protect themselves from radiation exposure. 
  • Decontamination and Decommissioning: Tungsten blankets are used during decommissioning of reactors or radioactive facilities to limit radiation exposure. 

• Industrial Radiography: 
  • Non-Destructive Testing (NDT): Tungsten blankets are used in NDT applications where X-rays or gamma rays are used to inspect materials for defects, protecting technicians from exposure. 

• Laboratories and Research Facilities: 
  • Radiopharmaceuticals and Isotope Handling: Tungsten blankets shield researchers or technicians handling radioactive isotopes in research and development processes. 

• Oil and Gas Industry: 
  • Logging Tools and Well Evaluation: Tungsten blankets protect workers during the use of radioactive sources in well logging and other subsurface evaluations. 

• Military and Defense: 
  • Radiation Shielding for Personnel and Equipment: Tungsten blankets protect military personnel and sensitive equipment from radiation in situations involving nuclear weapons or radioactive materials. 

Lancs Industries can also create any custom configuration you may need for your project. Whether you need the half-round shielding for your Steam Generator Replacement Project, gore shielding for your Pressurizer Surge Line, or snakes for your Dry Cask operations, Lancs Industries makes it all.