Routine methods for post-transportation accident recovery of spent fuel casks

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5832973

Shappert, L B; Pope, R B ^[1]; Best, R E ^[2]; Jones, R H ^[3]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
2. Science Applications International Corp., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
3. Jones (R.H.), Los Gatos, CA (United States)

Spent fuel casks and other large radioactive material packages have been examined to determine whether the designs are adequate to allow the casks to be recovered using conventional recovery methods following a transportation accident. Casks and similar packages are typically designed with, and handled by, trunnions that support the package during transport. These trunnions are considered the best cask feature with which to grapple the cask once it is no longer in its usual shipping mode. Following a transport accident, the trunnions may be buried or entangled so that they are not readily accessible to initiate the recovery process. To evaluate the effectiveness of applying traditional recovery methods to spent fuel casks, a workshop was held in which a series of accidents involving casks were postulated; the modes of transportation considered included truck, rail, and barge. These participants knowledgeable in transport, handling, and, in some cases, recovery of large, heavy containers attended. Participants concluded that the physical recovery of a cask involved in an accident, irrespective of where the accident occurs, would be a straightforward rigging operation and that the addition of specific recovery features (e.g., additional trunnions) to the cask appears unnecessary.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5832973
• Report Number(s): CONF-920430-23; ON: DE92005164
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

054000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
42 ENGINEERING
420204* -- Engineering-- Shipping Containers
ACCIDENTS
CASKS
CONTAINERS
CONTAMINATION
DESIGN
MATERIALS
MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RECOVERY
SAFETY
SPENT FUEL CASKS
SURFACE CONTAMINATION
TRANSPORT