Section 180-19-016 - DESIGN REQUIREMENTSIrradiators whose construction begins after October 30, 1996, must meet the design requirements of this section.
016.01SHIELDING. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee must 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 180 NAC 19-009. If the irradiator will use more than 2 x1017 becquerels (5 million curies) of activity, the licensee must evaluate the effects of heating of the shielding walls by the irradiator sources.016.02FOUNDATIONS. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee must design the foundation, with consideration given to soil characteristics, to ensure it is adequate to support the weight of the facility shield walls. 016.03POOL INTEGRITY. For pool irradiators, the licensee must design the pool to assure it is leak resistant, strong enough to bear the weight of the pool water and shipping casks, a dropped cask would not fall on sealed sources, all outlets or pipes meet the requirements of 180 NAC 19-013.02, and metal components are metallurgically compatible with other components in the pool.016.04WATER HANDLING SYSTEM. For pool irradiators, the licensee must verify the design of the water purification system is adequate to meet the requirements of 180 NAC 19-013.05. The system must be designed so water leaking from the system does not drain to unrestricted areas without being monitored.016.05RADIATION MONITORS. For all irradiators, the licensee must evaluate the location and sensitivity of the monitor to detect sources carried by the product conveyor system as required by 180 NAC 19-011.01. The licensee must verify 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 180 NAC 19-022.02, the licensee must verify the design of radiation monitoring systems to detect pool contamination includes sensitive detectors located close to where contamination is likely to concentrate.016.06SOURCE RACK. For pool irradiators, the licensee must verify 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 must determine source rack drops due to loss of power will not damage the source rack and 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, must review the design of the mechanism that moves the sources to assure 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.016.07ACCESS CONTROL. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee must verify from the design and logic diagram that the access control system will meet the requirements of 180 NAC 19-008.016.08FIRE PROTECTION. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee must verify the number, location, and spacing of the smoke and heat detectors are appropriate to detect fires and the detectors are protected from mechanical and radiation damage. The licensee must verify the design of the fire extinguishing system provides the necessary discharge patterns, densities, and flow characteristics for complete coverage of the radiation room and the system is protected from mechanical and radiation damage.016.09SOURCE RETURN. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee must verify the source rack will automatically return to the fully shielded position if offsite power is lost for more than 10 seconds.016.10SEISMIC. For panoramic irradiators to be built in seismic areas, the licensee must 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.016.11WIRING. For panoramic irradiators, the licensee must verify electrical wiring and electrical equipment in the radiation room are selected to minimize failures due to prolonged exposure to radiation.180 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 19, § 016
Amended effective 6/26/2021Amended effective 6/14/2023