SPENT FUEL TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS

In this paper, problems of transportation of nuclear spent fuel to reprocessing plants are discussed. The solutions proposed are directed toward the achievement of the transportation as economic and safe as possible. The increase of the nuclear power plants number in the USSR and the great distances between these plants and the reprocessing plants involve an intensification of the spent fuel transportation. Higher burnup and holdup time reduction cause the necessity of more bulky casks. In this connection, the economic problems become still more important. One of the ways of the problem solution is the development of rational and cheap cask designs. Also, the enforcement in the world of the environmental and personnel health protection requires to increase the transportation reliability and safety. The paper summarizes safe transportation rules with clarifying the following questions: the increase of the transport unit quantity of the spent fuel; rational shipment organization that minimizes vehicle turnover cycle duration; development of the reliable calculation methods to determine strength, thermal conditions and nuclear safety of transport packaging as applied to the vehicles of high capacity; maximum unification of vehicles, calculation methods and documents; and cask testing on models and in pilot scale on specific test rigs to assure that they meet the international safe fuel shipment rules. Besides, some considerations on the choice and use of structural materials for casks are given, and problems of manufacturing such casks from uranium and lead are considered, as well as problems of the development of fireproof shells, control instrumentation, vehicles decontamination, etc. All the problems are considered from the point of view of normal and accidental shipment conditions. Conclusions are presented. (Atomindex citation 08:303384)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Available in microfiche only. In Russian, International conference on nuclear power and its fuel cycles, Salzburg, Austria, 2 May 1977, 3.3.-.T.1./02 4 tables, 4 figs. U.S. Sales Only.
• Corporate Authors:

  International Atomic Energy Agency

  Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 100
  Vienna A-1400,   Austria 
• Authors:
  • Kondrat'ev, A N
  • Kosarev, Y A
  • Yulikov, E A
• Publication Date: 1977

Media Info

• Pagination: 8 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Containers; Economics; Environmental protection; Fire resistant materials; Freight transportation; Instrumentation; Nuclear fuels; Packaging; Prevention; Radioactive materials; Radioactive materials; Regulations; Safety; Technology; Transportation
• Geographic Terms: Russia (Federation)
• Old TRIS Terms: Cargo transportation; Reprocessing
• Subject Areas: Economics; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00168633
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: CONF-770505-129
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 27 1978 12:00AM