Audio Script for Information Center Transportation Display

Technical Report · Mon May 26 00:00:00 EDT 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/837511· OSTI ID:837511

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Can waste be transported safely to Yucca Mountain? Both the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have found that spent nuclear fuel can be shipped safely and securely. In fact, over the last 30 years there have been more than 2,700 shipments of spent nuclear fuel traveling more than 1.7 million miles, and there has never been a release of radioactive material harmful to the public or the environment--not one. Spent nuclear fuel is a solid material--it cannot leak, burn, or explode. The shipping containers, called casks, are the most robust in the transportation industry and must be certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They are designed to protect public health and safety under normal and severe accident conditions. Typically, every ton of shipped spent fuel is contained within approximately 4 tons of protective shielding and structural materials. How many shipments would be made to Yucca Mountain? DOE would use mainly trains and some legal-weight trucks to move spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain. Once the repository opens, DOE estimates and average of 130 rail shipments and 45 truck shipments per year for 24 years.

• Research Organization: Yucca Mountain Project, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy (US)
• OSTI ID: 837511
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: 26 May 2003
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACCIDENTS
BUILDING MATERIALS
CASKS
CONTAINERS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INFORMATION CENTERS
NUCLEAR FUELS
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
SAFETY
SHIELDING
SPENT FUELS
WASTES
YUCCA MOUNTAIN