Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

4.5.3.1 Fuel Residue Transport
4.66
Fuel residues (spent fuel hulls and hardware) are assumed in this Statement to be pack-
aged in special stainless steel canisters (Section 4.3.3.1). Casks for transport of such
canisters have not been built, but it is reasonable to assume that the design and construc-
tion of such casks present no new problems.
Fuel residue casks may be shipped by rail or truck. Because rail casks could have a
greater capacity and because both reprocessing plants and repositories will have rail ser-
vice, we assume in this Statement that all fuel residue shipments are-by rail. For planning
purposes a rail cask has been postulated that would transport three canisters. The concep-
tual cask is a lead-filled, double-walled stainless steel cylinder weighing about 45 MT
(140,000 lb). An insert would position the three canisters inside the cask cavity and would
act as a heat conduction path from the waste canisters to the inner surface of the cavity
wall. Neither cooling fins nor neutron shielding are required.
A truck cask that would transport one fuel residue canister has also been postulated
for comparison purposes. This conceptual truck cask is assumed to be a lead-filled, double-
walled stainless steel cylinder weighing about 20 MT (43,000 lb).
4.5.3.2 Other TRU Waste Transport
Other TRU wastes to be transported are the packages resulting from the treatment and
packaging operations for failed equipment and other miscellaneous TRU wastes (described in
Sections 4.3.3.2 through 4.3.3.4). These packages are mainly steel drums and steel boxes,
but special canisters like those used for fuel residue are used in this Statement for a por-
tion of the failed equipment. We assume that all of these packages require shipment in
casks or overpacks that meet Type B packaging standards, even though it is likely that some
could contain a small enough quantity of radioactivity to permit their shipment in Type A
packages. Typical Type A packaging includes steel drums, wooden boxes, and steel boxes that
prevent loss or dispersal of radioactive contents and retain radioactive shielding if
required when subjected to stresses associated with normal transport. Type B packaging
must meet these standards, but also must be able to survive a series of hypothetical
accident test conditions.
Shipments of these wastes could be made by truck or rail. We assume here that most of
these shipments will be by truck. The special canisters containing some of the failed
equipment are transported by rail along with the fuel residue waste.
Drums and boxes that have surface dose rates below 200 mR/hr and can be contact-handled
are assumed to be transported in a Super Tiger. ) A Super Tiger is a double-walled steel
box with a fire-resistant polyurethane foam filler for shock and thermal insulation. Three
pallets, each containing twelve 55-gal drums or three steel boxes (1.2 x 1.2 x 1.8 m), can
be accommodated in a Super Tiger. The maximum payload is about 14 MT (30,000 lb), and the
empty weight is 6.8 MT (15,000 lb). Super Tigers can be carried by either truck or rail.
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