Radiation shield device and associated method

A radiation shield device comprising:

• a first shell at least partially surrounding an area to be shielded from radiation, wherein the first shell comprises a plurality of coils that encircle the area to be shielded from radiation;
• and
• a second shell at least partially surrounding the area to be shielded from radiation and spaced apart from and further away from the area to be shielded than the first shell, said second shell also comprising a plurality of coils that encircle the area to be shielded from radiation and the first shell,
• wherein the coils of the first and second shells are configured such that a ratio of magnetic field strength between the first and second shells to magnetic field strength within the area to be shielded from radiation is at least 10:1.

A method of shielding an area from radiation, the method comprising:

• providing current flow through a plurality of coils of a first shell that at least partially surrounds the area to be shielded from radiation;
• and
• providing current flow through a plurality of coils of a second shell that at least partially surrounds the area to be shielded from radiation and that is spaced apart from and further away from the area to be shielded than the first shell,
• wherein the coils of the first shell are arranged in coil groupings and are paired with coil groupings of the second shell, and wherein providing the current flow through the coil groupings of the first shell comprises providing the current flow in an opposite direction to that in which the current flows through the plurality of paired coil groupings of the second shell such that each coil grouping of the first shell has north and south poles that are correspondingly oppositely positioned from the north and south poles of the paired coil grouping of the second shell, and
• wherein the first and second shells are configured with ampere-turns such that current flow therethrough results in opposing magnetic field strengths within the first shell that are within a predefined percentage of one another, and wherein the first and second shells are configured with ampere-turns that result in nominally equal magnetic field strengths.