Tech Briefs Magazine - December 2022 - 29

Computer-Implemented
Energy Depletion
Radiation Shielding
A new process for designing and accurately
tuning radiation shields.
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
R
adiation shielding for space as well as some terrestrial applications
is challenging due to the wide variety and energy
ranges of radiation particles. NASA Ames has developed a novel
technology that provides a new process for designing and
accurately tuning radiation shields to possess the specific characteristics
required for each application before testing, reducing
the need for iterative radiation beam testing throughout
the development process.
The difference between Layered Energy Depletion Radiation
Shielding (LEDRS) and Stacked Energy Depletion Radiation
Shielding (SEDRS) is how the piece of matter, or shield, is analyzed
as radiation passes through the matter. SEDRS involves using
a defined and ordered stack of layers of shielding with different
material properties such that the thickness and chemical properties
of each material maximizes the absorption of energy from the
radiation particles that are most damaging to the target.
This shielding method aims to provide the maximum level of
energy absorption while still keeping shielding mass and volume
low. The process of LEDRS involves using layers of shielding
material such that the thickness of each material is designed
to absorb the maximum amount of energy from the radiation
particles that are most damaging to the target after subsequent
layers of shielding. The more energy is absorbed by the shielding
material, the less energy will be deposited in the target minimizing
the required mass to achieve a resulting lower dose for
a given geometrical feature.
The method aims to provide the maximum level of energy
absorption. The process for designing LEDRS views potential
radiation shields as a cascade of effects from each shielding layer
to the next and is helpful for investigating the effects of each
layer. SEDRS and LEDRS can improve any technology that relies
on the controlled manipulation of a radiation field by interaction
with a material element.
Key applications are in the space industry for improving radiation
shielding for manned missions to the Moon or Mars, or
providing enhanced radiation capabilities to satellites in LEO;
medical industry for improving medical radiation therapy by
enabling the optimization of radiation-lensing systems to emit
only the desired radiation, as well the optimization of lens materials
for reduced cost; ion propulsion applications for providing
tailored radiation lensing to create the radiation streams
with the desired characteristics; energy industry for providing
shielding as in the space industry, or for assisting in the development
of new energy methods by enabling specific, controlled
reactions; sensor instruments for using with controlled beams
of radiation in X-rays and CAT Scans; as well as commercial and
military aircraft for providing improved radiation shielding.
NASA is actively seeking licensees to commercialize this
technology. Please contact NASA's licensing Concierge at AgencyPatent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov
or call at 202-358-7432 to initiate
licensing discussions. For more information, visit https://
technology.nasa.gov/patent/TOP2-304.
Tech Briefs, December 2022
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Tech Briefs Magazine - December 2022

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