Radiography in Modern Industry - Kodak

Chapter 12: The Processing RoomThe location, design, and construction of the x-ray processing facilities are major factors in theinstallation of adequate radiographic services. These facilities may be a single room, or a seriesof rooms for individual activities, depending an the amount and character of the work performed.Because of the special importance of these rooms for the handling, processing, and storing of x-ray films, both their general and detailed features should be most thoughtfully worked out. Whenplanning reflects care and foresight, the effort expended is soon offset by ease of operation,improved production, and lowered costs of maintenance.The flow of x-ray films from the radiographic room, through the processing facilities, to theviewing room should be a simple yet smooth operation requiring the fewest possible steps. Theroutine can be expedited by proper planning of the location within the department of the room orrooms devoted to processing, and by efficient arrangement of the equipment.Ideally, processing rooms should be supplied with filtered air, at a pressure above that of theoutside. This is particularly important when the outside air is likely to be contaminated with sand,dirt, or other airborne particles.Processing AreaThe volume of films to be handled in the department, and the importance of rapid access to thefinished radiographs, will determine whether manual or automatic processing will be used.Manual ProcessingIf the work load is small or intermittent, a single room containing all of the facilities can be used(See Figure 82). However, if the volume of manual processing is relatively high, production canbe expedited by dividing the operations among three areas: A room for loading and unloadingcassettes; a processing room with a through-the-wall tank; and a washing and drying room.In general, the manual processing room should be large enough to hold all the necessaryequipment without crowding. However, there is no advantage in having excessive floor space,although need for future expansion should be anticipated. The room shown in the figure belowwill permit the processing of more than 200 films a day, and can be constructed in a floor space91/2 x 15 feet.It is most efficient to have the processing area adjoin the exposure room. However, indepartments where highly penetrating radiation is used, the amount of radiation shielding neededto protect personnel and film may be prohibitively expensive, in which case the processing roommust be located at a safe distance.