Safe and Secure Transport and Storage of Radioactive Materials

Ken Sorenson is the Department Manager of Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycle Technologies at Sandia National Laboratories

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List of contributors
1. Introduction to the packaging, transport and storage of radioactive materials

1.1. Introduction
1.2. Overview of the topic
1.3. Scope of book


Part One. Frameworks for operational safety

2. Functional requirements for the design of transport packages

2.1. Introduction
2.2. Future trends in the nuclear industry
2.3. General design features to meet regulatory requirements
2.4. Packaging requirements
2.5. Package design


3. Training in the nuclear transport industry

3.1. Legal requirements
3.2. Training scope (as required by the regulations)
3.3. Training required
3.4. Refresher training
3.5. Other training considerations
3.6. Modal guidance
3.7. Sample syllabus
List of abbreviations


4. Public relations for the nuclear transport industry

4.1. Introduction
4.2. Risk perception
4.3. Historical overview
4.4. Security concerns
4.5. Risk communication
4.6. Future trends
4.7. Additional information


5. Risk assessment approaches for the transport of radioactive material

5.1. Introduction
5.2. Routine, incident-free transportation
5.3. Transport accidents in which the radioactive cargo is not damaged
5.4. Transport accidents in which the radioactive cargo is damaged
5.5. Transport accidents in which gamma shielding is lost
5.6. Uncertainty in transport risk assessment
5.7. Summary


6. Responding to emergencies associated with the transport of radioactive material

6.1. Introduction – emergency response: a necessary contribution to transport safety
6.2. Some significant events in radioactive material (RAM) transport – lessons drawn
6.3. Existing international requirements and recommendations – future trends
6.4. Roles and responsibilities for governmental and private, national and local organizations
6.5. Specific instrumentation, equipment and assessment tools needed for response according to transport modes
6.6. Other specific issues for transport emergency response organization: international issues
6.7. Conclusions
6.8. Further information and references




Part Two. Package design and performance for transport

7. Structural performance of packages for radioactive materials

7.1. Introduction
7.2. Performance requirements
7.3. From requirements to package layout
7.4. Demonstration of package performance
7.5. Conclusions


8. Thermal performance of transportation packages for radioactive materials

8.1. Introduction
8.2. Basics of heat transfer
8.3. Regulatory aspects
8.4. Heat loads
8.5. Thermal design features
8.6. Materials
8.7. Thermal safety evaluations of the package
8.8. Testing and analysis
8.9. Summary and trends


9. Radiation protection by shielding in packages for radioactive materials

9.1. Introduction
9.2. Design base and safety function of shielding
9.3. Current industrial solutions and overview of shielding materials available
9.4. Future trends, new requirements, and severe conditions


10. Criticality analysis of packages for radioactive materials

10.1. Introduction
10.2. Regulatory requirements
10.3. Factors influencing criticality safety
10.4. Establishing the criteria for criticality safety
10.5. Prediction of keff
10.6. Criticality safety assessments
10.7. Current and future challenges
10.8. Irradiated fuel transport: a case study in reducing conservatism
10.9. Summary


11. Sea transport of irradiated nuclear fuel, plutonium and high-level radioactive wastes

11.1. Introduction
11.2. Regulatory requirements for sea transport
11.3. The INF code
11.4. Cargo stowage and segregation considerations
11.5. Operations
11.6. Emergency planning
11.7. Security
11.8. Nuclear liability
11.9. International relations
11.10. Future trends
11.11. Further information
11.12. Conclusions




Part Three. Packaging, transport and storage of particular types of radioactive materials

12. Packaging, transport and storage of uranium ore concentrates and uranium hexafluoride

12.1. Transport of uranium ore concentrates
12.2. Transport of uranium hexafluoride
12.3. Conclusions


13. Packaging and transport of unirradiated uranium dioxide fuel and nonirradiated mixed oxide fuel

13.1. Transport of unirradiated uranium dioxide fuel
13.2. Transport of nonirradiated mixed oxide fuel
13.3. Conclusions
Key words and definitions


14. Transport and storage of spent nuclear fuel

14.1. Spent fuel generation and characteristics
14.2. Overview of storage technologies
14.3. Issues of long-term storage
14.4. Long-term containment of metal gaskets for metal casks
14.5. Interaction between transport and storage on containment
14.6. Stress corrosion cracking of the canister for concrete cask
14.7. Holistic approach to assure transport and storage safety of metal cask


15. Packaging, transport, and storage of high-, intermediate-, and low-level radioactive wastes

15.1. Radioactive waste categories
15.2. Transport and storage of high-level waste
15.3. Transport and storage of low-level waste and intermediate-level waste
15.4. Operational experiences with containers for low-level and intermediate-level waste
Final remarks


16. Packaging, transport, and storage of large radioactive components

16.1. Introduction
16.2. Swedish perspective
16.3. International perspective
16.4. Packaging for large components and alternative solutions
16.5. Transport of large components
16.6. Storage of large components in general
16.7. International work and cooperation in the field of handling and transporting large radioactive components
16.8. Future trends
16.9. Sources of further information


17. Packaging, transport, and storage of medical and industrial radioactive materials

17.1. Introduction
17.2. Use and transport of radioisotopes for medical purposes
17.3. Transport of sealed sources used in industry and research
17.4. Aspects of transport of special-form and non-special-form radioactive material
17.5. Transport and storage of disused sources
17.6. Additional regulations for high-activity sealed sources
17.7. Denial of shipments in transport of radioactive material




Part Four. Long-term storage and subsequent transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste

18. Wet storage of spent nuclear fuel

18.1. Introduction
18.2. Typical US spent-fuel pool and Fukushima
18.3. Aging management for extended long-term storage
18.4. Pool to pad and vacuum drying
18.5. Likely future trends
18.6. Sources of further information and advice
18.7. Conclusions


19. Long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste: strategies and implications for package design

19.1. Introduction
19.2. Overview of spent-fuel storage systems
19.3. Functional requirements and design loadings
19.4. Design implications of storage systems
19.5. High-level waste storage
19.6. Implications for extended storage
19.7. Trends


20. Transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste after long-term storage

20.1. Introduction
20.2. Possible issues resulting from long-term storage
20.3. Aging management
20.4. Storage/transport options
20.5. Disposition options
20.6. Transportation scenarios
20.7. Retrieval of the spent fuel after transportation
20.8. Conclusions




Index