Abstract: A radiation heat shield which comprises a plurality of helical grooves distributes possible thermal expansions around its circumference. These potential thermal expansions could be caused by transient conditions or other abnormal operational modes which could reduce the flow of coolant through particular fluid passages of the radiation shield. By incorporating a plurality of helical fluid passages, these potential thermal expansions are distributed around the circumference of the radiation shield and the resulting distortion moments tend to cancel each other and, provided that a sufficient number of turns is possible, eliminate the imbalance.