Physica
Lessons

04 Protection

Time, distance, shielding — then the wall

The three controls you already know, written so a barrier calculation has a place to start.

For RSO · vault designers · staff·7 min

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You will be able to

  1. 01Cut dose with time, inverse square, and transmission B.
  2. 02Count TVLs rather than millimetres of lead.
  3. 03Build a weekly workload from W, U and T.

Chapter 01

Three knobs

Dose rate times time, times the square of reference over actual distance, times transmission. Stand twice as far, take a quarter. Halve the time, take a half. Add a tenth-value layer, take a tenth. You will use all three in a hot lab before you ever pour a wall.

Distance is the cheapest shielding.

Simulation

Time, distance, and shielding — Change the numbers; the scene follows.

Variables

D = 0.5 mSv

D=D˙0t(d0d)2BD=\dot D_0\cdot t\cdot\left(\frac{d_0}{d}\right)^2\cdot B

Keep thisDistance is the cheapest shielding.

Open the calculator — Time, distance, and shielding

Chapter 02

Walls in tenths

A tenth-value layer is the thickness that leaves ten percent. Two leave one percent. Primary barriers see the useful beam; secondary walls see scatter and leakage. Never borrow a TVL from a different energy or a different material.

Simulation

Thickness from HVL / TVL — Change the numbers; the scene follows.

Variables

n = 3

Keep thisName the energy when you name the TVL.

Open the calculator — Thickness from HVL / TVL

Chapter 03

A week in the vault

Workload W, use factor U, occupancy T. The product sizes the weekly dose at a point, before transmission. A maze buys TVLs with extra scatters instead of extra lead. The door is where the last gap is closed with lead and borated polyethylene.

Simulation

Workload, use and occupancy WUT — Change the numbers; the scene follows.

Variables

W = 48 Gy/week

Keep thisOccupancy of a stair is not occupancy of a desk.

Open the calculator — Workload, use and occupancy WUT

In this specialty

Open this machineTreatment vault