MicroShield® Pro and MicroShield® LT
MicroShield® is a comprehensive photon/gamma ray shielding and dose assessment program that is widely used for designing shields, estimating source strength from radiation measurements, minimizing exposure to people, and teaching shielding principles.
MicroShield® is useful to health physicists, waste managers, design engineers, and radiological engineers and only requires a basic knowledge of radiation and shielding principles.
MicroShield® is fully interactive and utilizes extensive input error checking. Integrated tools provide graphing of results, material and source file creation, source inference with decay (dose-to-Ci calculations accounting for decay and daughter buildup), projection of exposure rate versus time as a result of decay, access to material and nuclide data, and decay heat calculations.
MicroShield® is now available in two different versions: MicroShield® Pro and MicroShield® LT. MicroShield® Pro provides the full features of the MicroShield® software along with the various source, decay, and other dose assessment tools. MicroShield® LT provides the fundamental 3D solution algorithm along with the basic features.
MicroShield® Features Comparison:
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MicroShield® LT |
MicroShield® Pro |
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Full Microsoft Windows® 11 compatibility |
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Support for international numerical formats |
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3D MicroShield® solution engine |
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16 different geometries |
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Inputs in SI and Imperial units |
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Custom materials with up to 30 constituents |
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Includes over 60 custom materials based on NIST, ANSI/ANS-6.4.2-2006, etc. |
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ICRP 38 & 107 nuclide source terms |
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Source term decay with daughter products generated |
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Multiple dose results based on ICRP 51, 71 & 116 DCFs |
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Batch Tool |
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Export results to Microsoft® Word and Excel |
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Sensitivity Tool |
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Multi-layer buildup factors for select geometries |
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Buildup factor sensitivity for select geometries |
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External Source Tool |
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Source Inference Tool |
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Exposure Rate Tool |
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Decay Heat Tool |
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Material and Nuclear Data Viewer |
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Site licenses available |
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Silent installation and SCCM support |
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MicroShield® General Features Include:
- Sixteen geometries that accommodate offset dose points and as many as ten standard shields plus source self-shielding and cylinder cladding.
- The geometry display for entry is re-scaled as dimensions are entered. Dimensional data are accepted in meters, centimeters, feet, or inches.
- Updated Library data (radionuclides, attenuation, buildup, and dose conversion) reflect standard data from ICRP 38 and 107 as well as ANSI/ANS standards and RSICC publications
- Dose conversion factors include ICRP Publication 116 absorbed dose rates and dose conversion factors from ANSI/ANS-6.1.1-1977.
- Includes a wide variety of custom materials based on NIST, ANSI/ANS-6.4.2-2006, etc.
- Buildup and uncollided results are both automatically and simultaneously calculated.
- Provides the ability to design and save up to eight custom materials for any case to add to the twelve built-in materials.
- Sources may be created and saved and moved among cases, either as nuclides or energies, and as concentrations or totals. Several photon grouping methods are provided including custom (user defined).
- Source decay can be calculated with daughter products generated.
- As many as twenty-five energy groups (with an energy range of 15 keV to 10 MeV) may be used; input may be concentration or totals.
- Sensitivity of exposure rate to time, source dimension, shield thickness, or distance can be investigated. Integration conversion verification can be conducted with sensitivity to quadrature order.
- Decay heat/energy can be calculated (Pro version).
- Ability to utilize international numerical formats (decimal commas, etc.).
Geometry – Source Configurations Include:
- Point
- Line
- Disk
- Rectangular Area – Vertical
- Rectangular Area – Horizontal
- Sphere
- Cylinder Volume – Side Shields
- Cylinder Volume – End Shields
- Cylinder Surface – Internal Dose Point
- Cylinder Surface – External Dose Point
- Annular Cylinder – Internal Dose Point
- Annular Cylinder – External Dose Point
- Rectangular Volume
- Truncated Cone
- Infinite Plane
- Infinite Slab
MicroShield® v13 Latest Features:
MicroShield® v13 includes
- Improved computational algorithms including the addition of updated National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) mass attenuation factors [Hubbell, J.H. and Seltzer, S.M. (2004)].
- Enlargement of the Custom Material Library to include more than 30 new custom materials, bringing the library to over 100 materials.
- Added functionality to set a fixed air gap for each dose point.
- Inclusion of dose conversion factors from ICRP-21 as well as ANSI/ANS 6.1.1-1991 and 2020.
- Full compatibility with the latest updates to Microsoft Windows® 10 and 11.
Requirements:
- Microsoft Windows® 10 or 11
Download the MicroShield® Product Description: MicroShield Description (PDF).
Download the MicroShield® Pro and MicroShield® LT comparison: MicroShield Comparison (PDF).