Appendix C: Facility Design

DOE-STD-1128-98

Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiological Protection in Plutonium Facilities

APPENDIX C

FACILITY DESIGN

Design criteria are established to provide technical direction and guidance for the planning and designing

of new facilities and of facility additions and alterations, and the development of specifications for

building acquisitions. While there is little probability that large new plutonium facilities will be

constructed, there may be significant modification to existing facilities. Additionally, 10 CFR 835

Subpart K Design and Control also provides requirements for the design of radiological facilities.

This appendix provides guidance in the design of plutonium facilities. This guidance should be used to

supplement the guidance of the DOE Standard, Radiological Control (DOE, 1999a), and other DOE

Orders and standards. Consideration and implementation of certain design features may be necessary to

ensure meeting criteria. Other safety areas such as industrial hygiene and industrial safety are beyond the

scope of this manual and are not specifically included; however, Federal and state regulations applicable

to those disciplines must also be met. Further, DOE Policy 450.4 Safety Management System Policy

(DOE, 1996d) provides the safety management system specifications for DOE facilities.

Radiation protection in nuclear facilities is usually achieved by a mixture of engineered and

administrative safeguards. A building equipped with a maximum of engineered safeguards and a

minimum of administrative controls should be more economical to operate than one with the reverse

characteristics. Radiation-protection efforts may be significantly enhanced by the incorporation of the

appropriate design features rather than relying on administrative controls. However, in many instances,

the designer and the health physicist must balance competing objectives to attain the most cost-effective

design with a high degree of safety and reliability. In designing a new facility, all of the necessary

physical features can be included; however, in an old facility it may be physically or economically

impossible to meet all of the requirements.

The guidance presented relates to physical safety and control systems only; guidance related to

administrative control is not included. The phrase "safety and control systems" is used here to refer to the

physical, engineered features that are used to provide radiation and contamination control. In addition to

the radiation-protection requirements, facilities that contain more than 450 grams of plutonium are subject

to criticality safety requirements, which include the need for a criticality alarm system and criticality

dosimeters. Guidance on the security and safeguards of nuclear material (including prevention of theft or

diversion) is not included but also must be considered in the design of the facility.

The following sections address the applicable standards and guides, design objectives, structural

guidance, building layout, service and utility systems, and special monitoring, safety, and other systems

required for the design of a plutonium facility.

C.1 APPLICABLE STANDARDS AND GUIDES

The following DOE standards may also be useful:

C DOE-STD-1021-93 Natural Phenomena Hazards Performance Categorization Guidelines for

Structures, Systems, and Components. (DOE, 1993b)

C DOE-STD-1020-2002 Natural Phenomena Hazards Design and Evaluation Criteria for

Department of Energy Facilities. (DOE, 2002b)

C-1