Assessment of the response of spent fuel transports to malevolent acts
This paper describes the results of a program conducted at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for the US Department of Energy to provide an experimental data base for more accurately assessing the radiological consequences from a hypothetical sabotage attack on a spent fuel shipping cask. The primary objectives of the program were limited to: (1) evaluating the effectiveness of selected high explosive devices (HED) in breaching full-size spent fuel casks, (2) quantifying and characterizing relevant aerosol properties of the released fuel, and (3) using the resulting experimental data to evaluate the radiological health consequences resulting from a hypothetical sabotage attack on a spent fuel shipping cask in a densely populated area. Subscale and full-scale experiments in conjunction with an analytical modeling study were performed to meet the programmatic objectives. The data from this program indicate that the Urban Studies greatly overestimated the impact of malevolent acts directed at spent fuel casks in urban environs. From that standpoint this work could be the basis of additional regulatory revisions of the NRC physical protection requirements. In a larger sense this work can also be the basis of more credible worst case analyses since it defines the actual result of an event which is well beyond any expectations of cask failures in accident environments. 5 references.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 5100608
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-84-0034C; CONF-840614-11; TTC-0468; ON: DE84005552
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Annual meeting of the American Nuclear Society, New Orleans, LA, USA, 3 Jun 1984
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Experimental data base for estimating the consequences from a hypothetical sabotage attack on a spent fuel shipping cask
Assessment of the safety of spent fuel transportation in urban environs
Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
SPENT FUEL CASKS
SABOTAGE
SPENT FUELS
LAND TRANSPORT
URBAN POPULATIONS
RADIATION HAZARDS
DELAYED RADIATION EFFECTS
EXPLOSIVES
HEALTH HAZARDS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RISK ASSESSMENT
AEROSOLS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CASKS
COLLOIDS
CONTAINERS
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FUELS
POPULATIONS
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SOLS
TRANSPORT
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
050900* - Nuclear Fuels- Transport
Handling
& Storage
054000 - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
560161 - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Man