[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 10, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 10CFR36.39]

[Page 618-619]
 
                            TITLE 10--ENERGY
 
                CHAPTER I--NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
 
PART 36--LICENSES AND RADIATION SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR IRRADIATORS
--Table of Contents
 
     Subpart C--Design and Performance Requirements for Irradiators
 
Sec. 36.39  Design requirements.

    Irradiators whose construction begins after July 1, 1993, must meet 
the design requirements of this section.
    (a) Shielding. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee shall design 
shielding walls to meet generally accepted building code requirements 
for reinforced concrete and design the walls, wall penetrations, and 
entranceways to meet the radiation shielding requirements of Sec. 
36.25. If the irradiator will use more than 2 x 10\17\ becquerels (5 
million curies) of activity, the licensee shall evaluate the effects of 
heating of the shielding walls by the irradiator sources.
    (b) Foundations. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee shall 
design the foundation, with consideration given to soil characteristics, 
to ensure it is adequate to support the weight of the facility shield 
walls.
    (c) Pool integrity. For pool irradiators, the licensee shall design 
the pool to assure that it is leak resistant, that it is strong enough 
to bear the weight of the pool water and shipping casks, that a dropped 
cask would not fall on sealed sources, that all outlets or pipes meet 
the requirements of Sec. 36.33(b), and that metal components are 
metallurgically compatible with other components in the pool.
    (d) Water handling system. For pool irradiators, the licensee shall 
verify that the design of the water purification system is adequate to 
meet the requirements of Sec. 36.33(e). The system must be designed so 
that water leaking from the system does not drain to unrestricted areas 
without being monitored.
    (e) Radiation monitors. For all irradiators, the licensee shall 
evaluate the location and sensitivity of the monitor to detect sources 
carried by the product conveyor system as required by Sec. 36.29(a). 
The licensee shall verify that the product conveyor is designed to stop 
before a source on the product conveyor would cause a radiation 
overexposure to any person. For pool irradiators, if the licensee uses 
radiation monitors to detect contamination under Sec. 36.59(b), the 
licensee shall verify that the design of radiation monitoring systems to 
detect pool contamination includes sensitive detectors located close to 
where contamination is likely to concentrate.
    (f) Source rack. For pool irradiators, the licensee shall verify 
that there are no crevices on the source or between the source and 
source holder that would promote corrosion on a critical area of the 
source. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee shall determine that 
source rack drops due to loss of power will not damage the source rack 
and that source rack drops due to failure of cables (or alternate means 
of support) will not cause loss of integrity of sealed sources. For 
panoramic irradiators, the licensee shall review the design of the 
mechanism that

[[Page 619]]

moves the sources to assure that the likelihood of a stuck source is low 
and that, if the rack sticks, a means exists to free it with minimal 
risk to personnel.
    (g) Access control. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee shall 
verify from the design and logic diagram that the access control system 
will meet the requirements of Sec. 36.23.
    (h) Fire protection. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee shall 
verify that the number, location, and spacing of the smoke and heat 
detectors are appropriate to detect fires and that the detectors are 
protected from mechanical and radiation damage. The licensee shall 
verify that the design of the fire extinguishing system provides the 
necessary discharge patterns, densities, and flow characteristics for 
complete coverage of the radiation room and that the system is protected 
from mechanical and radiation damage.
    (i) Source return. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee shall 
verify that the source rack will automatically return to the fully 
shielded position if offsite power is lost for more than 10 seconds.
    (j) Seismic. For panoramic irradiators to be built in seismic areas, 
the licensee shall design the reinforced concrete radiation shields to 
retain their integrity in the event of an earthquake by designing to the 
seismic requirements of an appropriate source such as American Concrete 
Institute Standard ACI 318-89, ``Building Code Requirements for 
Reinforced Concrete,'' Chapter 21, ``Special Provisions for Seismic 
Design,'' or local building codes, if current.
    (k) Wiring. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee shall verify 
that electrical wiring and electrical equipment in the radiation room 
are selected to minimize failures due to prolonged exposure to 
radiation.