The Georgia Institute of Technology high-dose gamma irradiation facility

The gamma irradiation facility (hot cell) located at the Neely Nuclear Research Center (NNRC) on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus is a versatile research tool used by industry and universities to conduct high-dose irradiation experiments. A Quality Assurance program is in place, which conforms to the requirements of ANSI/ASME NQA-1 and 10 CFR 21. The hot cell is a 2.1-m x 4.2-m shielded negative pressure room designed to handle up to 1.85 x 10(6) GBq (50,000 Ci) of Co-60. Sources are inserted and removed from the cell via a hand-operated chute connected to a storage pool located next to the cell. When the sources are stored in the pool, personnel can enter the cell via a shielded door for the set up and removal of experimental specimens. The placement of heavy objects in the cell is aided through the use of a 15-ton crane and removable concrete ceiling slabs. Two wide-angle zinc-bromide-filled viewing windows provide the hot cell operator visual capabilities for adjusting sources and experiments during irradiation. Movement of the sources and smaller objects is accomplished through the use of two sets of telemanipulators. Stepped penetrations in the shielding walls can be used to pass wiring and piping into the cell so the experimenter can monitor the performance of the specimens during the irradiation. With a variety of sources, dose rates in the range of 5 Gy h(-1) to 10 kGy h(-1) can be achieved.