Design of YCF-1 mobile γ irradiator

YCF-1 mobile irradiator has been designed by Beijing Institute of Nuclear Engineering of China and has been put into use in Jilin province. It can play an important role in extending irradiation technology in food irradiation, disinfestation, sterilization and quarantine. This paper describes the features and design considerations of a mobile irradiator. The irradiator uses a Cesium-137 source, the design loading capacity of the source is 9.25 PBq (250 kCi). The half-life of Cs-137 is 30.2 years and the source does not need replacing. The dose rate on the surface is 0.0025 mSv/h in accordance with national standards. The shielding of the irradiation room is a steel shell filled with lead. The thickness of lead is 18 cm. The irradiator is installed on a special flat truck. The weight of the irradiator is more than 80 tons. The main components and parts of the irradiator are: source, source racks and hoist, irradiation chamber, storage source chamber, the product's transport system, dose monitoring system, ventilation system and safety interlock system. (author)