Safety assessment of spent fuel transportation through urban regions
A full scale test subjecting a 25.45 metric tonne stainless steel/lead cask containing surrogate spent fuel to a reference high explosive device was performed to provide data for developing improved estimates of the radiological consequences resulting from the sabotage of spent fuel transports in urban regions. A total UO/sub 2/ fuel mass of 5.460 kg was removed from the 201.053 kg UO/sub 2/ fuel assembly as a result of the test. A total respirable UO/sub 2/ aerosol mass of 2.94 g was released from the cask as a result of the explosive attack. The results of this full-scale test indicate that approximately 6 x 10/sup -4/ % of the total solid heavy metal inventory (0.5 t) could be released as a respirable radioactive aerosol as a result of an explosive attack on a single-PWR fuel assembly truck cask. The expected health consequences were calculated using the derived release fraction of 6 x 10/sup -4/ percent as the primary input to the consequence reactor safety model called CRAC. The results of this consequence analysis indicate that one peak latent cancer fatality and no early fatalities or early morbidities could occur as a result of this postulated radioactive release from a single PWR spent fuel truck cask in downtown New York City.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); Lovelace Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Albuquerque, NM (USA). Inhalation Toxicology Research Inst.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789; AC04-76EV01013
- OSTI ID:
- 6814664
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/NBM-2020543; ON: DE82020543
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Handling
& Storage
054000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
AEROSOLS
CASKS
COLLOIDS
CONTAINERS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
DOSES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
EXPLOSIVES
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INFORMATION
LAND TRANSPORT
NUMERICAL DATA
POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
SABOTAGE
SAFETY
SOLS
SPENT FUEL CASKS
TRANSPORT
TRUCKS
VEHICLES