SHIELD FABRICATION FOR THE NMSR

The purpose of this report is to provide a general description of the materials to be used in the NMSR primary and secondary shields, generally approved methods of shield construction employing these materials, and eration tests and requirements for shield integrity. A qualification regarding materials and construction for the secondary shield should be borne in mind by the reader. Although the Babcock and Wilcox Company is responsible for furnishing the spectra and other basic radiation information necessary to size the secondary shield, the responsibility for construction of this shield has been assigned to the New York Shipbuilding Corp. Consequently, the secondary shield herein described will be that recommended by Walter Kidde Nuclear Laboratory in a preliminary study, and only general construction methods and criteria will be described. The major shield design criteria for the NMSR are weight minimization and distribution for ship stability, and space considerations. Design considerations indicate the weight distribution would be optimized between primary and secondary shields somewhere near the point where reactor gamma radiation contributes 10% to the total dose rate outside the containment shield, and reactor neutrons contribute a maximum of another 10% of the total at this point. The design has not been fully optimized. Shielding materials chosen by the architect-engineer and concurred in by The Babcock and Wilcox Company was ordinary and barytes concrete (around the lower portions of the containment vessel), lead (on the neutron shield tank), and lead and polyethylene (about the upper portions of the containment). Although other materials have been investigated, there has been no reason to suggest changes in the shield materials or their order and location.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document is available for review at the Department of Commerce Library, Main Commerce Building, Washington, D.C., under reference number BAW-1111.
• Corporate Authors:

  Babcock and Wilcox Company

  Atomic Energy Division
  Lynchburg, VA  United States  24504
• Authors:
  • Smith, W R
• Publication Date: 1958-5

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 19 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Gamma rays; Nuclear reactor components; Nuclear reactors; Radiation shielding; Safety
• Old TRIS Terms: Nuclear reactor safety
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00026063
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Maritime Administration
• Contract Numbers: AT(30-3)-274
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 2 1974 12:00AM