Shielded Radioactive Storage Wells for Cleanroom Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radiopharmaceutical storage setups face hygienic, radiation exposure, and employee health and safety concerns due to cumbersome cleaning procedures, turbulent airflow, inadequate shielding, and heavy component handling.
Innovation Solution
A shielded radioactive storage device with enclosed radiation shielding material in a hermetically sealed casing, featuring storage wells and a lid sliding system, which minimizes radiation exposure, enhances cleanroom hygiene, and reduces the need for manual handling of heavy components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If stacked-ring cylinders are used for storage, then radiation shielding is provided, but cleaning becomes time-consuming and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The storage device is divided into multiple removable wells that can be individually accessed and cleaned. Each well is a separate component that can be detached from the main body, allowing for efficient cleaning without disassembling the entire structure. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining shielding effectiveness while enabling quick, targeted cleaning of only the necessary components.
Solution Approach 2:
The radioactive generator is extracted from the well as a separate removable component. This allows the well to be easily cleaned and disinfected without handling the heavy shielding rings or the radioactive material itself. The generator can be removed, the well cleaned, and the generator replaced, significantly reducing cleaning time while maintaining radiation protection.
2Quantity of substance
If stacked-ring cylinders extend vertically above the table, then storage capacity is increased, but turbulent air flow and stagnant pockets are created
Solution Approach 1:
The design transitions from a vertical stacked-ring configuration to a horizontal planar layout with multiple wells arranged on a flat surface. This dimensional change eliminates the vertical extensions that cause airflow disruption while maintaining storage capacity through efficient use of horizontal space. The flat table design allows laminar airflow without creating stagnant pockets, resolving the contradiction between storage capacity and airflow quality.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If lead rings are used for shielding, then radiation protection is provided, but employee health and safety risks increase due to heavy weight
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple shielding functions are merged into a single integrated well structure. The well combines the shielding function of lead rings with the containment function of a unified body, eliminating the need to handle multiple heavy separate components. The integrated design maintains radiation protection while reducing ergonomic risks by consolidating weight into a single stationary structure that doesn't require frequent assembly or disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The generator is nested within the well, which itself is nested within the shielding structure. This nested configuration allows the shielding to be permanently integrated into the well rather than requiring separate removable rings. The nested design maintains adequate radiation shielding while eliminating the need for employees to handle and assemble heavy lead components, improving safety and ease of operation.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If individual lead rings are stacked to form cylinders, then radiation shielding is achieved, but the number of components and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate lead rings are merged into a single integrated well structure with built-in shielding. This consolidation reduces the number of discrete components from multiple individual rings to a unified well-body assembly. The integrated design maintains the necessary radiation shielding thickness and effectiveness while dramatically simplifying the overall device structure and reducing component count.
Solution Approach 2:
The well serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, contains the generator, provides radiation shielding, and enables easy removal and cleaning. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate components for each function that would exist in a stacked-ring system, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining or improving performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device provides safer and more efficient storage by minimizing radiation exposure, ensuring proper cleaning, and reducing employee health risks while optimizing space usage and material efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
Radiation shielding material is provided along the bottom and sides of each well and in each lid. All radiation shielding material is fully enclosed within a non-toxic, hermetically sealed casing.
Implementation Method 2
All radiation shielding material is fully enclosed within a non-toxic, hermetically sealed casing.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein shielded radioactive storage devices including a hollow body defining an interior cavity, a first well positioned within the interior cavity, including a first well casing, and defining a first well cavity having a first well opening, the first well cavity and first well opening sized to receive a radioactive payload, a second well positioned within the interior cavity, including a second well casing, and defining a second well cavity having a second well opening, the second well cavity and second well opening sized to receive a second radioactive payload, a shield casing extending around and spaced apart from the first and second well casings to form a shielding cavity between the shield casing and the first and second well casings, and radiation shielding material filling the shielding cavity to surround the first and second well casings.