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DEVELOPMENT OF HOT CELLS AND THEIR

EMBEDDED PARTS
K. Jayarajan, B. Sony, V.K. Shrivastava, R. Sahu, S. Panda, A.N. Jha, M.N. Rao
Division of Remote Handling and Robotics
Vivek Mahadev
Seismology Division
A.K. Pradhan
Isotope Application Division
S. Sethi, S.P. Dey, K. Karmakar, S.B. Gaikwad
Laser and Plasma Technology Division
V.R. Bhave, Kuldeep Sharma
Sealed Sources and Logistics, BRIT
Anwer Tariq
RAPP Cobalt Handling Facility, BRIT
Shri K. Jayarajan is the recipient of the DAE Group Achievement
Award for the year 2012

Abstract
Hotcell facilities are used for handling radioactive materials for various applications, like waste management,
radioisotope production and post-irradiation examination. We have been involved in the development of hot cells,
water pools and associated equipments. Hot cell embedded parts like personal assess doors, external transfer
drawers, inter-cell transfer drawer, wall sleeves, plugs and hot cell liners play a major role in the operation of the
plant and safety of the operators. The article describes our recent experience in development of these components.
Introduction
In nuclear industry, shielded nuclear radiation
containment chambers are referred as hot cells. They
protect operators and the environment from the
harmful effects of radiation. Hot cell walls are made
from lead-bricks or from concrete. Thickness of the
concrete wall vary from 1 m to 2 m depending upon
the shielding requirements.
The walls and the floor of hot cells are embedded
with a variety of equipments or components.
Embedded parts (EPs), such as wall liners, wall sleeves
and rails are static. However, EPs like access door,

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Special Issue | October 2014

inter-cell transfer drawer and external transfer drawer

contain heavy moving parts. These EPs maintains
shielding integrity during normal and accidental
conditions. Safety inter locks are provided on
dynamic EPs to avoid accidental exposure of radiation
to operator.
CCTV cameras or radiation shielding windows are
used for viewing the hot cell. Objects in the hot cells
are usually handled using general-purpose remote
handling tools like Master Slave Manipulators, Power
Manipulators and In-cell Cranes. Viewing systems and
remote handling tools are not in the scope of the
article.

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Recently, we have been involved in development of hot

cells and associated embedded parts for the following
facilities.
Augmentation of Cobalt Handing Facility, Kota
(ACHF)
Augmentation of Hotcell and Associated Facilities
for Radiation Technology Applications, Trombay
(AHCAFRTA)
Integrated Facility for Radiation Technology, Vashi
(IFRT) and
Uranium Clean-Up Facility, Trombay (UCUF).
In ACHF hot cells, the adjuster rods are processed to
recover cobalt-60 pencils and pellets for making sealed
sources. Fig.1 shows irradiated adjuster rod subassemblies of power reactors placed in the RAPPCOF
Water Pool.

Fig. 2 shows the plan view of a typical hot cell facility

indicating commonly used EPs. The hot cells (red
zone) are connected to the high bay area (green zone)
through isolation rooms (amber zone) as per radiation
zoning principle.
Fig. 3 shows the sectional end view of one of the hot
cells.

Fig. 3 EPS and Remote Handling Tools of a Hot Cell (Side view)

Common Embedded Parts

Personal Access Door
Personal access doors are used for personnel entry into
the hot cell and for transferring radioactive materials
between the cold area and the hot cell in shielded
flasks. Access doors are of two types: hinged or sliding.

Fig. 1: Irradiated Adjuster Rod Sub-assemblies at RAPPCOF

Water Pool

Fig. 2: Major EPs of a Typical Hot Cell (Top View)

Fig. 4: Personal Access Door of ACHF, Kota at Fabricators

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They may be motorised or manual. Mild steel doors

are designed to provide radiation-shielding equivalent
that of the concrete cell wall. Fig.4 shows the door
designed by us for ACHF, Kota. The mild steel door
weighing about 45 tons has a door flap thickness of
600 mm.

on a trolley. Rails are laid on the floors of hotcell and

outside for transferring the trolley. Turntables are
provided at the junctions of the rails. The rails in the
hot cell are lined with stainless steel plates.

External Transfer Drawer

Walls and floor of the hot cells are lined with stainless
steel plates for easy decontamination. The stainless
steel plates are welded to the grid embedded in to the
wall or floor.

The external transfer drawer embedded in the

concrete wall is used for transferring materials into
the hot cell from outside and vice versa. It has two
shielded doors, a transfer drawer and mechanisms for
operating the doors and the transfer drawer. The doors
are mechanically interlocked to avoid simultaneous
opening of both doors.
Inter-cell Transfer Drawer
The inter-cell transfer drawer, embedded in the
common wall of adjacent hot cells, is used for
transferring materials from one hot cell to the other.
It consists of an outer casing, two shielded doors, a
transfer drawer and remote mechanisms for operating
the doors and the drawer. The doors are mechanically
interlocked to avoid simultaneous opening of both
doors.
Service Sleeves and Plugs
For transmission of electric power, electric signal,
pneumatic supply, etc. across the hot cell walls, service
sleeves and plugs are provided on the walls. The plugs
are housed in the sleeves, which are embedded in
the wall. Their shapes are designed to avoid direct
radiation streaming.
Rails and Turntables
Active components are transferred between the water
pool and the hot cells in heavy shielded flask placed

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Special Issue | October 2014

Hot Cell Liner

Water Pool Liner

Leak tightness is one of the major requirements of any
storage pool in a nuclear installation. As the first barrier
of leakage, the walls and the floors of the pools are
lined with stainless steel plates. The liner is designed
to withstand internal as well as external hydrostatic
pressure. Stringent quality control is implemented to
ensure leak tightness.
Lead Bricks
In place of concrete, mild steel encased lead bricks can
be used to construct the walls of a hot cell. Although
expensive, it will significantly reduce the thickness of
hot cell walls. To avoid radiation streaming, the bricks
are made with interlocking edges. Such lead bricks are
used in two wall of the alpha- beta- gamma shielded
hot cell of UCUF.
Conclusion
Embedded parts of hot cells play a major role in the
operation of the plant and safety of the operators. EPs
of our design are installed in the hot cells of AHCF,
ACHFRTA, IFRT and UCUF. ACHF is operational at
RAPPCOF, Kota. It has been producing and supplying
Industrial Irradiator Sources and Tele-therapy Sources
of cobalt-60.