Technical Guidance

Here you will find data and articles on radiation shielding, frequently asked questions (FAQ), monitor performance, specific gamma ray constants, mathematical derivations, radiation protection widgets  - everything we have personally found useful from our own tool kit. New resources will be uploaded here from time to time.

For formal radiation safety advice, visit our Radiation Protection Adviser (RPA) services page. 

  • Radiation shielding data for use with F-18

    Published: Jun 14, 2025

    Source: Ionactive radiation protection resource

      Tags:
    • F-18
    • F-18 shielding
    • F-18 Lead
    • F-18 concrete
    • F-18 Steel
    • PET shielding
    • Radiation Shielding
    • TVT
    • 10th Value Thickness
    • TVL
    • 10th Value Layer
    • PET
    • Positron emission tomography
    • Medical radiation shielding
    • Radiation shielding design

    Radiation shielding data for use with F-18. Provides examples of lead thickness against transmission, and compares with concrete (3 densities considered) and steel. Based on broad beam conditions. Useful for shielding sanity checks during the initial design of PET shielding facilities.

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  • Radiation skyshine (photon scattering) over a shielding wall widget

    Published: May 26, 2025

    Source: Design & implementation of widget by Dr Chris Robbins (Grallator) / Article by Ionactive radiation protection resources

      Tags:
    • Radioactive source
    • Collimated source
    • Uncollimated source
    • Se-75
    • Shielded enclosure
    • Open top radiography
    • Skyshine
    • Photon scattering
    • Dose Rate
    • Radioactive waste drum store
    • Industrial Radiography
    • Radiotherapy treatment room
    • Medical MR accelerator
    • Service penetrations
    • Quench pipe
    • Unshielded dose rate
    • Shielded dose rate

    Imagine an uncollimated radioactive source (e.g. Se-75 or similar) in the middle of a concrete shielded enclosure which is open topped.  The shielding is designed to mitigate all direct radiation from the source down to background levels on the outside of the enclosure. Any remaining exposure potential is from skyshine. This latest widget explores skyshine in terms of dose rate where the horizontal and vertical measurement position can be explored, and where the vertical height of the source can be adjusted. Some of the results provided may surprise you. Developed for Ionactive by Dr Chris Robbins from Grallator.

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  • True whole body dose rate from an x-ray cabinet apparent radiation "leak" widget

    Published: May 19, 2025

    Source: Design & implementation by Dr Chris Robbins (Grallator) / Ionactive radiation protection resource

      Tags:
    • Whole body exposure
    • Whole body dose
    • X-ray cabinet
    • X-ray leakage
    • < 1 μSv/h
    • < 1 micro Sv/h
    • < 1 micro Sv/h at 10cm
    • ALARP
    • As low as reasonably practicable
    • Lead shielding
    • Inverse square law
    • Shielding fault gap
    • Diameter of beam
    • Dose Rate
    • X-ray security cabinet
    • Critical examination
    • IRR17
    • Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017
    • IAEA
    • radiation detector
    • Radiation monitor
    • Radiation Risk Assessment
    • Instantaneous dose rate (IDR)

    You are performing a critical examination on an x-ray cabinet where you find a small radiation "leak" measuring slightly >1 micro Sv/h on the surface. What is the potential whole body radiation exposure from this situation? How does it vary with the position of the source (x-ray collimator) to the inner surface of the x-ray cabinet covers? And how does it vary with the diameter of the shielding deficiency or the distance of the monitoring prob to the x-ray cabinet covers? Explore these radiation protection questions with this widget.  Developed for Ionactive by Dr Chris Robbins from Grallator.

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  • Radiation protection maze / labyrinth - what they do & how they work widget

    Published: May 13, 2025

    Source: Design & implementation by Dr Chris Robbins (Grallator) / Ionactive radiation protection resource

      Tags:
    • Radiation protection maze
    • Radiation protection labyrinth
    • Maze dog-leg
    • Labyrinth dog-leg
    • Shielding door
    • drop down lintel
    • Collimated source
    • Uncollimated source
    • Area of collimation
    • Scattered radiation
    • Direct ray path
    • Radiotherapy treatment room
    • Industrial radiography enclosure
    • Industrial Irradiation
    • Radiation shielding design
    • Ionising Radiation
    • TVT
    • 10th Value Thickness
    • NCRP Report 151
    • IAEA Report 47
    • IPEM Report 75

    How does a radiation protection maze (labyrinth) work? What dose rate would you receive if you were to move up the maze (if you were allowed to). No dog-leg (so you need a shielding door), one dog-leg or two dog-leg? How about a drop down lintel? Collimated source or uncollimated? Area of collimation? Scatter vs direct ray path? Mazes are often present in radiotherapy treatment rooms, industrial radiography enclosures, industrial irradiation facilities and similar. This widget uses a 10 MV collimated and uncollimated ionising radiation source to explore these concepts. In addition, the widget is used to describe good, and not so good practice in radiation shielding design, with practical examples. Developed for Ionactive by Dr Chris Robbins from Grallator.

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  • Photon scattering between source and detector widget

    Published: Apr 17, 2025

    Source: Design & implementation by Dr Chris Robbins (Grallator) / Facilitated by Ionactive radiation protection resource

      Tags:
    • Photons
    • Photon scattering
    • Collimator
    • Shielding
    • Detector
    • Radiation source
    • Dose Rate
    • counts per second
    • CPS

    Gamma / x-ray dose rate measurements for radiation protection purposes are not always as simple as first expected. Is the emitting source true 4π geometry, 2π or collimated in some way? The same questions can be asked of the detector (most radiation monitors are 2π).  Furthermore, how do the photons scatter within the region between source and detector - do they leave the region before being detected, or are some of them scattered back towards the detector? Are the scatters truly random or could they be influenced in some way? This is the first of several radiation protection widgets, created for Ionactive by Dr Chris Robbins (Grallator), which will explore photon scattering and it's impact on radiation protection and detection. 

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  • Geometry / radioactivity distribution with detector response (dose rate / CPS) widget

    Published: Apr 13, 2025

    Source: Design & implementation by Dr Chris Robbins (Grallator) / Facilitated by Ionactive radiation protection resource

      Tags:
    • Geometry effects
    • Radioactivity distribution
    • Dose Rate
    • CPS
    • counts per second
    • Neutron activation
    • Contamination
    • Collimator
    • Detector response
    • Inverse square law
    • radiation detection
    • contamination measurement
    • Surface contamination
    • Surface activation

    Imagine a geometry situation other than a simple point source of radiation from radioactive material. Further imagine the interior surface of a tungsten cone containing radioactive material from neutron activation - the distribution of activity being variable depending on the circumstances of the irradiation. What might the dose rate be,  measured by a radiation detector placed at the open end of the cone? How would this dose rate change with distance from the cone, with distribution of radioactivity within the cone, and with the shape of the cone? This is explored in our latest widget, developed for Ionactive by Dr Chris Robbins from Grallator.

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Physics is, hopefully, simple. Physicists are not

– Edward Teller -