Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 1 A Tutorial on Packaging and Transportation of Nuclear Materials Institute of Nuclear Materials Management Packaging and Transportation Technical Division

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 2 Introduction Packaging and Transportation Scope Regulatory Drivers Design Considerations Demonstration of Safety: Regulatory Demonstration of Safety: Extra-regulatory Security Considerations Risk Assessment and Routing Summary Tutorial Outline

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 3 Nuclear materials are used in: Commercial applications Medical applications Industrial applications Defense applications Nuclear materials that are radioactive (i.e., a regulatory threshold of activity) need to be packaged and transported in ways that protect both the public and the environment. Introduction

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 4 Annual shipments of radioactive materials are a small fraction of the total shipments of all hazardous materials: ~ 300 million shipments/year of all hazardous materials ~ 3 million shipments/year of radioactive materials (<1% high activity content) Due to strict regulatory requirements, the packaging and transport of radioactive materials has resulted in safe operations, even when off-normal events have occurred. Packaging and Transportation Scope Spent Nuclear Fuel Transport Cask

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 5 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) produces standards by which nuclear nations can define regulations for packaging and transportation of nuclear materials. U.S. regulations for packaging and transport of radioactive materials are harmonized with the IAEA standards to ensure consistency of application among nations. For example, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 71 – Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material. These regulations define the packaging and transportation performance criteria to ensure the safe transport of radioactive materials and spent nuclear fuel under: –Normal conditional of transport –Hypothetical accident conditions of transport Type A packaging criteria are less stringent due to lower radioactivity content Type B packaging criteria are more stringent due to higher radioactivity content This graded approach is used to protect public health and the environment; that is, higher levels of radioactivity result in more stringent packaging, storage, and transportation requirements. Regulatory Drivers

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 6 Normal Conditions of Transport (10 CFR 71.71) Tests: Type A & B Casks Regulatory Drivers Tests conducted in sequence Water Spray 5 cm/hr for 1 hr Free drop 1.2 m (pkgs < 5000 kg) Stacking (compression) 5 times the weight of package for 24 hours (pkgs < 5000 kg) Penetration 6 kg steel cylinder (3.2 cm diameter) from 1 m

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 7 Hypothetical Accident Conditions (10 CFR 71.73) Tests: Type B casks Regulatory Drivers Tests conducted in sequence, in the most damaging orientation: –Impacts (onto an unyielding target, in the most damaging attitude) 9 m drop of the package, 1 m drop of the package onto 15 cm steel bar –Fire (fully engulfing for 30 min) 800 o C minimum average temperature –Water immersion 15 m, and 0.9 m if fissile, and 200 m for larger quantities of radioactive material

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 8 Transport casks are designed to address four principal safety functions: –Containment – cask must contain contents during normal and accident conditions –Shielding - cask must provide shielding from gamma and neutron radiation –Criticality Control - cask must prevent a nuclear chain reaction –Heat Dissipation - cask must dissipate heat from spent fuel assemblies Design Considerations

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 9 Drop Testing and Analysis to Demonstrate Containment –For transport, highly radioactive payloads must demonstrate containment after being dropped from a height of 9m (30ft) onto an unyielding surface. This demonstration can be done either by physical testing, by analysis, or by a combination of testing and analysis. Demonstration of Safety: Regulatory Result: This is a very stringent criterion that results in maintaining containment even under severe impact conditions

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 10 Thermal Testing and Analysis to Demonstrate Containment –For transport, highly radioactive payloads must demonstrate containment after being subjected to an 800 °C (1475 °F) fire for 30 minutes. This demonstration can be done either via physical testing, by analysis, or by a combination of testing and analysis. Demonstration of Safety: Regulatory Result: Similar to the drop test, this thermal test criterion is very severe and provides demonstration of containment, particularly in the closure and seal region of the packaging.

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 11 Safety demonstrations have been conducted through testing and analyses to verify safety of the packaging under severe conditions that may not be bounded by the regulations. 1.Mechanical Impacts A 22- ton cask on a flatbed semi-trailer crashed into a 690-ton concrete block at 135 kph (84 mph). The cask maintained its containment after the impact. Demonstration of Safety: Extra-regulatory

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 12 Safety demonstrations have been conducted through testing and analyses to verify safety of the packaging under severe conditions that may not be bounded by the regulations. 1.Mechanical Impacts A 25-ton cask on a semi-trailer was struck by a 120-ton diesel locomotive traveling at 130 kph (81 mph). The cask maintained its containment after the impact. Demonstration of Safety: Extra-regulatory

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 13 Safety demonstrations have been conducted through testing and analyses to verify safety of the packaging under severe conditions that may not be bounded by the regulations. 1.Thermal Impact A transport cask was placed next to a natural gas rail tank car in a pool fire. The gas tank car exploded and threw the transport cask 10 meters (30 ft.). There was no loss of containment as a result of this test. Demonstration of Safety: Extra-regulatory Photos courtesy of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –Prüfung (BAM), Germany

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 14 Since 9/11, security considerations relative to the packaging, storage, and transportation of nuclear materials has taken on a sense of urgency. Testing and analyses have been conducted to estimate potential consequences from a sabotage event. 1.Airplane Impact2. Fuel Response to shaped-charge3. Explosive Impact weapon Security Considerations

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 15 Routing and Risk Assessment are integral parts of packaging and transportation program planning. These two activities provide a quantification of health and safety risk to specific transportation and storage activities and provide real access to direct communications with the public and concerned stakeholders. Routing and Risk Assessment

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 16 Routing analyses assess route characteristics, as well as population densities and population buffer zones along specific routes. These analyses provide data for input to risk assessments and provide information relative to the best routes for specific shipments. Routing and Risk Assessment Highway Route Example: New York to Los Angeles Rail Route Example: New York to Los Angeles Barge Route Example: Pittsburgh to New Orleans Population data with Buffer Zone example: Milwaukee

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 17 With routing analyses and cask/fuel response to impact and thermal accident data, engineers can estimate risk consequences from specific shipping campaigns. Routing and Risk Assessment Example: Dispersal path of contaminant plume following a transportation accident. Example: Quantity of contaminant material that creates dose as a function of distance from source for gasses, aerosolized particles and large particles that settle quickly to the ground. Gasses Aerosolized particles Large particles

Technical Division Tutorial: Packaging and Transportation 18 Summary The packaging and transportation of nuclear material has been demonstrated to be safe and secure over the last five decades of experience. This exemplary safety record is based on: a strict set of regulatory conditions that must be met, strong engineering bases through testing and analyses that verify that packaging designs meet the regulations, additional testing and analyses to demonstrate that packagings designed for safety also mitigate potential consequences resulting from terrorist attacks, and assessing and mitigating risks by analyzing routing alternatives.