Yves Rouquette
General Manager
Engineering Department
COGEMA, Reprocessing Branch

Olivier Konirsch
Deputy Manager
Operations Division
TRANSNUCLEAIRE, Paris

COGEMA Group has developed a complete and coherent system for the transport of wastes produced at COGEMA La Hague reprocessing plant and COGEMA Cadarache and MELOX MOX fuel manufacturing plants.

This system is based on standardized waste conditioning and transport packagings well adapted to the specification of wastes to be transported:

• low level waste (which can be sent to surface disposal): DV 78 overpack.
• Alpha wastes (plutonium contaminated wastes) are transported with TN GEMINI and RD 26 packagings to COGEMA facilities for removing plutonium before shipment to surface disposal.
• compacted intermediate level waste: RD43 packaging
• vitrified high level waste: TN 28 and TN 81 packagings

• PWR and BWR spent fuel assemblies from European and Japanese nuclear power plants are reprocessed at COGEMA La Hague Plant in order to separate Plutonium and Uranium from waste.
• Plutonium and Uranium are used for manufacturing Mixed Oxides (MOX) fuel at COGEMA Cadarache and MELOX plants. Some wastes are generated during MOX fuel fabrication operations.

• improved sorting in order to send the maximum quantity of waste to the surface disposal
• recovery of plutonium from waste in order to meet the requirements for surface disposal.
• reduction of the volume of waste to be disposed of (by compaction, incineration...)
• standardization of waste conditioning (for example: canister for vitrified waste and for compacted waste from reprocessing).
• Wastes from reprocessing and MOX fuel manufacturing plants are transported to:
• plutonium recovery facility (Alpha waste)
• surface disposal (Low level waste)
• interim storage facilities (intermediate and high level waste)

Low level wastes resulting from the reprocessing of French spent fuel are sent to the French surface disposal operated by ANDRA at Soulaines.

Low level wastes are conditioned in metallic drum (118 l and 200 l) and fiber-reinforced concrete cylinders (CBFC1 and CBFC2).

For the transport of Low Level Waste, a multi purpose large size overpack named DV 78 is used either by road or by rail. The main dimension are identical to an ISO 20 feet container. The internal capacity is either eighty four 118 liters metallic drums or fifty four 200 liters metallic drums or twelve RD 26 packagings or twelve CBF-C1 or six CBF-C2.

The DV 78 container is equipped with removable roof and has lateral reinforced walls. The doors can be largelly opened in order to have a maximum available section for loading all the types of content. They can be strongly locked to avoid any accidental and illegal opening during the transport. The floor of the container is equipped with a specific shock absorbing material in case of an accidental drop from 2.5 meters during the loading operation. Each DV 78 container allows to be loaded with different types of racks to take into account the different contents. Thus, there are four types of rack:

• the Co rack contains partially or all the metallic drums (118 or 200 liters) and protects them during the transport. It is also possible to load in this rack a large content, with a maximum weight of 18 700 kg, which can be safely tightened to the rack.
• the CBF-C1 rack contains a maximum of 12 CBF-C1.
• the CBF-C2 rack contains a maximum of 6 CBF-C2.
• the RD 26 rack contains partially or all the 12 RD 26 for a maximum total weight of
  18 400 kg.

During the transport, each rack is strongly fixed to the DV 78 container. All the standard handling equipment for an ISO 20 feet container can be easily used for the DV 78 container.which can be loaded either by the roof or through the doors. Each rack can be quickly changed in order to adapt the DV 78 container to the content to be transported.

At the present time, DV 78 containers, Co racks, CBF-C1 racks, CBF-C2 racks and RD 26 racks are available for the transport between the LA HAGUE reprocessing plant and the ANDRA surface disposal. The transports are performed by road between the facilities and the closest railway terminals, and by rail.

Plutonium contaminated waste from MOX fuel manufacturing plants are sent to UCD facility at La Hague in order to recover plutonium and reduce the radiotoxicity of waste.

After treatment, waste can meet the requirement for surface disposal. Alpha waste are conditioned either in 118 liters or 200 liters metallic drums.

Due to the characteristics of these a -waste which must be transported from MELOX Plant and in accordance with the transport regulation, it is necessary to use a type B(U) packaging. At the present time, two types of cask may be used: the TN GEMINI (or RD 39) and the RD 26.

TRANSNUCLEAIRE designed this type B(U) packaging for the transport of a -waste or of large mechanical components. The main features of this packaging is its very useful cavity: usually the cavity of a type B(U) is cylindrical but, in this case, the cavity has a rectangular section. The payload is 5800 kg and therefore the TN GEMINI can transport either 60 drums of 118 liters type or 40 drums of 200 liters type.

The external dimension are similar to an ISO 20 feet container (6058 x 2650 x 2500 mm) and the maximum loaded weight is 30 tons.

Regulatory drop tests have been performed on a half scale model in mid 1994 and the French transport license was delivered in March 1997.

TN GEMINI flask provides an easy operating system by using standard ISO equipment:

• Handling and tie-down are operated with the ISO anchor points located on the corners of the flask.
• Transport by road on a standard trailor for ISO containers.

Each flask can be equipped with an automatic device for loading the drums: six drums are placed in a small rack which can be easily placed on a special loading platform; then, the rack is automatically pushed inside the cavity and tightened. After loading, the flask is handled onto the trailor with a standard ISO spreader. For unloading, similar operation is performed at LA HAGUE facility.

In the future, the content of this packaging could be extended to other types of waste and especially large contamined equipment like glove boxes (Appendix 1).

The RD 26 packaging is also a type B(U) which was developed for the transport of one drum of 118 liters type.That means that this flask can be considered as a complementary equipment to the TN GEMINI flask: only one drum is transported in each flask.

The RD 26 packaging has a cylindrical shape and is mainly composed of:

• a body made of an internal stainless steel containment, a specific material acting as a neutron shielding and a thermal protection, and an outer stainless steel envelope.
• a lid bolted onto the body and equipped with an orifice in order to take a sample of the gas cavity before opening the flask.
• two elastomer gaskets between which a check of the leaktightness can be performed before the transport.
• a shock absorber cover bolted onto the body and mainly made of wood.
• a short frame for handling operation.

The maximum loaded weight is 610 kg for a 118 liters drum of 150 kg. The height is 1145 mm (with the shock absorber) and the outer diameter is 860 mm.

Regulatory drop and fire tests have been performed on full scale models in 1992 and the French transport license was delivered in August 1993.

For the transport, each drum is placed in a RD 26 flask and twelve of them can be transported by road at the same time in a DV 78 container (Appendix 2).

Fission products from spent fuel reprocessed at COGEMA La Hague plant are trapped in glass matrix and conditioned in canisters.

These canisters are transported from reprocessing plant to interim storage facilities by road, rail and sea.

A packaging named TN 28 is normally used for transport of glass canisters. It can accommodate 20 or 28 canisters depending on the activity level.

A new packaging under development TN 81 will allow the transport of higher activity canisters.

For the transport of these vitrified residues, an IAEA type (B) packaging is necessary. Depending on the facility which will receive the wastes, two types of flasks are considered:

• only transport flasks when the facility can directly store the canisters,
• dual purpose flasks (transport and storage) when the safety of the facility is based on the flask.

TRANSNUCLEAIRE has developed different designs for the two types of flasks: TS 28, TN 28 and TN 81. The main features of these packagings are closely related to those of all the previous TRANSNUCLEAIRE designs for the transport of spent fuels between the nuclear power plants and the reprocessing facility. It relies in using a thick forged steel body to warranty the mechanical resistance of the flask, the containment of the cavity and the gamma shielding protection. This steel body is surrounded by a neutron shielding protection made of a polyester resin specifically developed by TRANSNUCLEAIRE. Through this protection, heat conductors allow the dissipation of the heat power from the inside of the cavity to the atmosphere. Externally, a steel shell completes the gamma shielding and may be equipped with fins to evacuate the heat power. The total loaded weight of all these flasks is approximatively the same: 112 tons in transport configuration.

The TN 28 flask is used for the transport of either 28 canisters or 20 canisters with a maximum total heat power of 41 kW. There are two types of internal equipment: one basket for 28 canisters placed on four levels and one for 20. The two baskets are made of aluminium. The top of the flask is equipped with one lid with two elastomer gaskets and one orifice. Two shock absorbers are placed on the top and the bottom of the flask.

At the present time, the TN 28 design has been licensed for several years and flasks are currently in operation for the transport of vitrified residues from the reprocessing plant at LA HAGUE and the Japanese interim storage at ROKKASHO. Additional flasks are presently under manufacturing in order to increase the return of the canisters to the productive country.

The TS 28 design is almost identical to the TN 28, but it was designed for the storage of canisters. The main differences are: the gaskets are metallic instead of elastomer, for the storage configuration and an eventual second transport and the top of the flask is equipped with a secondary lid.

The TS 28 design is licensed in France for the transport and in Germany for the transport and the storage at GORLEBEN. Transports of vitrified residues back to Germany with TS 28 flask have already started.

The TN 81 is a new design developed by TRANSNUCLEAIRE for the transport and the storage of 28 canisters with high nuclear characteristics: thus, the maximum allowable heat power is 56 kW for the whole packaging. The TN 81 is designed to be transported as a Type B(U)F package with either a primary lid or a secondary lid. The body is mainly made with a thick forged carbon steel shell assembled to a thick forged bottom by heat shrinkage and leaktightness. The outer surface of this shell is fitted with aluminium boxes acting as radial heat conductors and containing a neutron shielding and a complementary gamma shielding made of lead. These boxes include also outer cooling fins. The closure system is very similar to the TS 28 packaging in order to keep the same interfaces with the facilities at the departure and at the arrival of the flask. The basket is made of copper plates bolted together and to the cavity of the body. For the transport, there are two classical shock absorbers bolted on top and bottom of the body, plus two aluminium rings specially designed for the mechanical resistance for drop from 9 meters in horizontal position (Appendix 3).

The loading operations at LA HAGUE are identical for all the flasks described above: they are loaded in vertical position with an automatic remote controlled handling system in a specific shielded cell. After loading the canisters, the primary lid and the shock absorbers are bolted to the body. Tests such as leaktightness, shielding and contamination can be performed before shipping the flask. All the operations during transport are identical to those existing for the transport of spent fuels either by road, rail or boat and therefore are based on a long and improved experience.

Hulls and end pieces together with technological waste from spent fuel reprocessing will be compacted and conditioned in canisters like vitrified waste.

These compacted waste will be transported from Reprocessing plant to interim storage facilities.

The RD 43 packaging under development will allow the transport of up to 36 or more canisters, depending on the nuclear characteristics of the content and specially of the cooling time before the transport.

The RD 43 packaging will be a type B(U)F in accordance with the IAEA recommendation. Due to the specific content, there is no neutron shielding and no cooling fins. Otherwise, all the other main features of the RD 43 are similar to the other heavy flasks presented above: a body composed of a thick forged carbon steel shell welded to a forged bottom and covered by a lid equipped with elastomer gaskets and an orifice. During the transport, the flask is protected by two shock absorbers and two aluminium rings. The maximum total weight is 120 tons.

All the operations for loading, handling, shipping and unloading are similar to the ones used for the TN 28 flask.

In the future, a version for the transport and storage could be also developed (Appendix 4).

COGEMA with TRANSNUCLEAIRE have developed a set of packagings for the transport of waste arising from COGEMA reprocessing and MOX fuel manufacturing plants. These packagings are part of a complete and coherent transport system designed for minimizing transport costs for the benefit of COGEMA Customers.

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