Encapsulated castles

There are many reasons to encapsulate a castle but first consider what a typical castle looks like.

A typical castle

Historically the shielding walls were constructed from interlocking chevron lead bricks more simplicity however this always forced a compromise of other important factors.

While the appearance of a castle constructed from new, specifically ordered, properly fitting blocks is good the same is not true of the typical castle. A typical castle is constructed from chevron blocks which have been ‘borrowed’ from other areas and any shape, size, thickness or type will do.

A typical castle will feature:

• A variety of different size and thickness blocks.
• there are never enough corner blocks meaning the corners of the completed castle are not interlocked. This means the walls are not as stable as they ought to be and there are the potential areas are not properly shielded.
• Blocks are typically painted. Blocks sought from different locations will be painted in different colours making the completed castle a patchwork of chipped paint.
• The edges of the blocks are damaged, dented and misshapen. This means the resultant castle will not fit together properly and large gaps between blocks will be apparent and the finished structure will be weak.

The better way

The Radi-tech encapsulated castle allows for the same radiation shielding offered by lead chevron bricks but with vast improvements in easy cleaning and decontaminating, Infection control, stability, lead exposure and cosmetic appearance. Encasing the shielding material ensures the entire surface is easy to clean. There are no gaps in the surface, or in the shielding material within.

A castle often requires shielding containers to be lifted over the walls into the working area. For a loose-fitting lead brick castle this is a potential dangerous operation where a lead brick could be dislodged falling from the castle wall onto the floor. This is not possible when using an encapsulated castle.

Encapsulated castles can be constructed to any form, including the labyrinth castle where shielded containers can be slid into the castle without the need for lifting.

The encapsulated castle can be loaded with just the lead shielding required, for work with Tc-99m there is no need for 50mm of lead shielding. This allows for a cost effective solution which is not possible with lead chevron bricks where 25mm would be the minimum thickness of lead used.

Summary

These are the steps which should be considered in assessing the suitability of the castle used in any department, the risk assessment. While a standard encapsulated castle preforms better than lead block equivalent in all areas it is possible to create a bespoke castle which ideally suits your application and allow for an even lower risk of use.