Safety in radiation monitoring and mitigation techniques using magnets

Published: 2023-06-09 14:18:43 • Daniel Gårdefelt

As the world continues to use new technologies, it becomes more and more important to control radiation exposure. Magnets have become an important part of new technologies for tracking radiation and protecting against it.

Radiation can hurt biological processes, whether it comes from natural sources or is made by people. So, keeping an eye on and reducing radiation is important for both the health of people and the health of the world. Magnets are used in this area because of their ability to move charged particles, which are often found in radiation.

Radiation protection is a very important way that magnets are used. Traditional materials that block radiation are thick and heavy, which makes them less useful in some situations. Magnetic fields are another way to protect something. By making a strong magnetic field around a certain area, charged particles like protons and electrons can be turned away. This protects the area from radiation in a way. This method is especially useful for space travel, since astronauts are exposed to cosmic radiation and standard shielding materials can't be used because they are too heavy.

Magnets are also important for keeping an eye on radiation. For example, magnetic Cerenkov detectors are used to keep an eye on spent fuel rods in nuclear power plants. Magnets are used in these devices to measure the radiation given off by the fuel rods. Radiation particles are affected by the magnetic field, and by watching how they change, operators can figure out important things about the state of the spent fuel.

Magnetic liquid marbles are a new technology that could also be used to measure radiation. These are drops of liquid that have magnetic particles on their surfaces and can be moved with the help of magnetic fields. By putting radiation-sensitive materials in these marbles, they can be sent to dangerous or hard-to-reach places and managed from afar to measure radiation levels.

In conclusion, magnets are becoming more and more important to the development of new technologies for radiation tracking and protection.