Transit openings in the walls and floors of environments handling nuclear radiation can be a source of risk. Gamma radiation can find its way into adjacent areas through the transit openings, if these openings are not effectively sealed and protected. This requires a sealing system which is resistant to radioactive gamma rays. Beele Engineering has developed the XATTAX sealing system specially for this. The system’s protective effect is so good that work can now also be done closer to the reactor.
The new system from the sealing specialist, based in Aalten in the Netherlands, is resistant to gamma rays and offers shielding against radioactive radiation. XATTAX is the general name for a collection of products which can be used singly or in combination to achieve the desired sealing and shielding properties. At its heart is the Radiatt system which, applied in an 80cm-thick concrete wall, offers 100% shielding and protection against nuclear radiation.
Radiatt can be combined with several of Beele Engineering’s other products without any serious detraction from the sealing and shielding qualities. In this way, the combination of Radiatt and NOFIRNO offers 99.9% shielding against radiation. Even combinations of the NOFIRNO and ACTIFOAM systems, and of NOFIRNO and AQUASTOP, offer shielding of 91% and 99% respectively. As with other Beele Engineering systems, the Radiatt system is also entirely maintenance-free; in addition, it has an 80-year lifespan.
The results of tests carried out with the new system have been recorded in a Kiwa Covenant, which includes all the application details.
For a major nuclear project, the rubber types used in the various products have also been investigated for their resistance to gamma radiation. To this end, they were exposed to a total radiation of 200 kGy. There was virtually no influence on the properties of the materials, while the materials themselves remained flexible even after exposure to the radiation.
