Transporting spent fuel: Protection provided against severe highway and railroad accidents

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6202912

Lahs, W R

This report summarizes the results of a study conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to determine the level of safety provided during shipments of spent fuel from US commercial nuclear power plants. The study focuses on the protection provided for shipments that may be involved in truck or railroad accidents. During shipment, the cask and the form and structure of the spent fuel being shipped provide the primary physical means for containing radioactivity and for limiting radiation levels outside the cask. These functions must be maintained at acceptable levels even under the wide range of forces the cask and fuel could be subjected to during an accident. Spent fuel shipments are regulated by both the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the NRC. The NRC evaluates and certifies the design of the shipping casks used to transport spent fuel, while DOT regulates vehicles and drivers. Current NRC regulations require that shipping casks meet certain performance standards. The performance standards include normal operating conditions and hypothetical accident conditions a cask must be capable of withstanding without exceeding specified acceptance criteria that (1) limit releases of radioactive material and radiation levels outside the cask and (2) assure that the spent fuel will remain subcritical (that is will not undergo a self-sustaining nuclear reaction). The study, conducted by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), began with an assessment of the possible mechanical and/or thermal forces generated by actual truck and railroad transportation accidents. The magnitudes of forces from actual accidents were compared with forces attributed to the ''regulatory-defined'' hypothetical accident conditions.

• Research Organization: Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (USA). Div. of Regulatory Applications
• OSTI ID: 6202912
• Report Number(s): NUREG/BR-0111; ON: TI87900917
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
CASKS
DESIGN
MECHANICAL TESTS
SPENT FUELS
ACCIDENTS
TRANSPORT
US DOT
REGULATIONS
US NRC
HAZARDS
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RAILWAYS
RISK ASSESSMENT
ROADS
SAFETY ENGINEERING
TRUCKS
CONTAINERS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENGINEERING
FUELS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MATERIALS TESTING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FUELS
REACTOR MATERIALS
TESTING
US ORGANIZATIONS
VEHICLES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
050900* - Nuclear Fuels- Transport
Handling
& Storage