RECONFIGURABLE RADIATION SHIELD

• US 20100084586A1
• Filed: 07/15/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Horia Mihail Teodorescu
• Original Assignee: Horia Mihail Teodorescu
• Inventors: Teodorescu, Horia Mihail
• Granted Patent: US 8,143,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/516.100
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 3/00 Shielding characterised by its physical form, e.g. granules, or shape of the material

Abstract

The disclosed invention proposes a reconfigurable radiation shield that, compared to art static shields, improves the protected volume/weight ratio. The reconfigurable shield is applicable in the medical field, in the aerospace industry, in mobile radiological laboratories and decontamination vehicles, as well as in other fields where intensity-fluctuating radiation and variable direction radiation represent a hazard.

Claims

1. The radiation shield, according to the present invention, characterized by the fact that it is composed of a flexible material, or of a system of flexible rigid mobile elements, which can perform translation and rotation movements, or is constituted of a deformable material, or has a non-homogeneous composition with mobile micro- or nano-elements, such that the flexible system composed of mobile elements, or the flexible material of the shield, or its composition and physical structure, or a combination of the above can be controlled in response to the changes of the incident radiation flux and to the variation of the flux of radiation that penetrates into the protected space.

2. The radiation shield, according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that it is able to protect a space of parallelepipedic shape, or a cylindrical shape with whatever cross section, or any other shape that allows the realization of the shield with articulated plates, such that the initial shape of the shield can be modified according to the adaptation requirements.

3. The radiation shield, according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that the angle between two successive plates, or the shape of the elastic shield, or the local composition of the shield is self-adapted in response to the intensity of a variable cosmic radiation source, the adaptation being performed with the aim to maximize the total absorption of the radiation incident to the shield in the purpose to realize an acceptable protection against radiation, with the reduction of the protected zone in case of the increase of the radiation beyond the level when the non-deformed, totally extended shield ensures a sufficient protection.

4. The radiation shield, as in the claim 1, characterized by the fact that in case of its realization based on plates, slats or slabs, the angle between successive plates can be modified by a control system, depending on the level of incident radiation, and on the level of radiation determined in the protected space, thus ensuring the adaptability of the shield.

5. The radiation shield, according to the claim 1, characterized by the fact that by adapting the shape to the vehicle or to the space to be protected, it can be included in space and terrestrial systems, in order to ensure an optimal adaptive protection, not only for constant radiation sources, but also in the case of sources of nuclear radiation—

including γ

, X, and UV radiation—

that are variable as intensity, incidence direction, or spectral composition.

6. The radiation shield, as in claim 1, characterized by the fact that it is controlled in order to satisfy the condition of minimizing the primary radiation in the equation of attenuation of the global primary radiation in the protected zone, the control taking into account the specific absorption coefficients of the elements primordially protected, such as the personnel.

7. The radiation shield, as in the claim 1, characterized by the fact that it can be conceived out of small-sized plates, slabs, slats, lowers or textile/elastic fabrics with radiation absorption capabilities, which, through deformation in the directions of intense radiation sources, rise their equivalent thickness and thus their efficiency in absorption radiation in that area. The control of the material'"'"'s deformation is automatic.

8. The directional shield, as in the claim 3, characterized by the fact that it includes mobile elements that allow for their displacement in space, such that the shielding elements—

for example shielding plates—

change their angle with respect to the direction of the incoming radiation from the fluctuating source, when the source intensity increases.

11. The directional shield, as in claim 1, characterized by the fact that it can comprise two shields, the first of which is destined for protection from radiation coming from a single, well-specified direction, or for radiation coming at a small solid angle opening, and the second—

possibly static—

destined for omni-directional protection.

14. The radiation shield, as in the claim 1, characterized by the fact that it can feature a system of position sensors or any other system for the automatic detection of the persons'"'"' position(s), such that the shield'"'"'s shape and position is computed for an optimal radiation attenuation toward the human work area(s).

17. The adaptive radiation system, according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that, it is used in protecting power plants or other electrical installations against solar flares or other intense radiation events. In a non-limitative realization, the building'"'"'s walls can be mobile and controllably articulated such as to constitute the adaptive radiation shield.

18. The adaptive radiation shield, according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it can be either internal or external to the protected structure.

19. The adaptive radiation shield, according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the shield is made out of a material whose composition can be controllably modified, such as a ferro-fluid with magnetic particles of high radiation dampening coefficient, or colloidal suspensions of polar molecules which can be oriented by an electrical external field, or elongated or platelet-like nano- or micro-particles squeezed between fero-fluidic magnetic particles or polar molecules such that the particles are oriented by the effect of the movement of the ferro-fluidic magnetic particles or by the movement of the polar molecules of particles that change their orientation due to external fields, in such a way that the material has or can have anisotropic properties, its properties being controlled by the action of electric, magnetic, or other fields for the shield'"'"'s composition is adapted, non-homogeneously, according to the optimal, directional radiation attenuation requirements.

20. The adaptive radiation shield, according to claim 19, characterized by the fact that the ferro-fluid or polar particles used for the shield may be inhomogeneous, for example, they can be composed of a core made of highly absorbing material, such as lead, covered by a magnetic material, such as iron.

21. The adaptive radiation shield, according to claim 19, characterized by the fact that the material can also be composed, in another realization version, of molecules or nano-particles that have strong anisotropic radiation absorption and are able to be oriented by external fields such that they maximize the absorption in the direction of the incoming radiation.

9. The adaptive radiation shield, characterized by the fact that it uses a system of elements—

in particular plates, slabs—

articulated by hinges and directed by an automated control system which positions the plates.

10. The radiation dampening plates characterized by the fact that they can be manufactured out of radiation absorbing materials with uniform composition, or out of composite materials, or out of layers of different materials, in order to absorb efficiently both the primary radiation, and the lower-energy secondary radiation that may be generated in the shield.

12. The control system of the radiation shield is characterized by the fact that it includes radiation sensors that are internal and external to the protected zone, a radiation-measuring bloc, a digital control system that controls the movements of the elements of the shield, and an actuation system controlling the positions of the elements of the shield.

13. In a non-limitative realization, as in claim 12, the sensor may be included in a phantom in order to measure the biological effect of the radiation instead of its physical ones.

16. According to claim 12, the use of a set of directional external sensors, characterized by the fact that, the sensors are disposed on a mobile support/arm (12) that is able to execute a precession-type movement (17) in order to determine the direction of the incident radiation, the sensors are included in sensor chambers (15), and are covered in a directional shield (14). The sensors have various external shields (13) of radiation dampening equivalent to the adaptive shield in some of its possible shapes. Several sensors are disposed on the support/arm, with different external shield thicknesses, such as to predict which shield shape provides best overall radiation—

secondary plus primary—

protection for the given irradiation.

15. The adaptive radiation shield, characterized by the fact that it can be conceived as clothes that are made of fabrics that comprise radiation absorbing materials and whose shape can be controllably modified, for instance through controlled folding in the areas exposed to intense radiation and, possibly, through distension in the areas exposed to lower radiation levels.