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TEC WORKING GROUP WHITE PAPER:

INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION OF

COMMERCIAL SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL (SNF)

JULY 2008

Prepared for

The Transportation External Coordination Working Group (TEC)

Rail Topic Group, Intermodal Subgroup

Authors:

Alex W. Thrower, Office of Logistics Management, OCRWM/DOE;

Stephen Schmid and Ralph E. Best, Bechtel-SAIC, LLC;

Lee Finewood, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.; John Smegal, Legin Group

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Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................3

2.0 Intermodal Transportation Defined......................................................................................3

3.0 Intermodal Transportation of SNF – Background ...............................................................4

4.0 Operational Considerations for Intermodal Transportation of SNF ....................................5

4.1 Lift............................................................................................................................6

4.2 Transfer ....................................................................................................................7

4.3 Move ........................................................................................................................9

5.0 Intermodal Transportation Coordination Issues...................................................................9

6.0 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................11

Figures

Figure 1 Overview of Intermodal Activities and Operations .................................................6

Figure 2 Type of Equipment Suitable for Lifting and Transferring Skids .............................7

Figure 3 Type of Equipment Suitable for Heavy-Haul Intermodal Movement

of Casks ....................................................................................................................8

Figure 4 Type of Equipment Suitable for On-Site Movement of Casks ................................8

Figure 5 Operations Alternate SNF Transportation Mode (Intermodal-Japan) .....................9

Figure 6 Estimated Needs for Intermodal Lifting, Transfer and Moving ............................10

Figure 7 Actions Necessary to Implement Intermodal Transportation Operations..............11

Tables

Table 1 Options for Moving Canistered SNF from Commercial Sites ...............................12

For further information, questions, or comments regarding this paper, please contact Alex W.

Thrower, OCRWM/OLM, at (202) 586-7905, email [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

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1.0 Introduction

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Transportation External Coordination Working

Group (TEC) formed the Rail Topic Group’s Intermodal Subgroup. The subgroup’s purpose is to

identify, discuss and address issues related to the use of and transfer between different modes to

transport commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) to the proposed Yucca Mountain Repository.

This paper was developed by the Office of Logistics Management (OLM) in DOE’s Office of

Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM), and is intended for use by the subgroup

members and other parties interested in SNF intermodal issues. This paper is intended to provide

basic general information about intermodal transport (IMT), and to discuss some of the issues

OLM will need to resolve as it prepares to ship SNF to a repository.

It should be noted that SNF shipments from utilities will not take place for years, and much

location-specific information either cannot be known at this time, or will likely change between

now and commencement of shipping operations. This paper is for informational and illustrative

purposes only and is unrelated to any assessments or analyses that may be conducted pursuant to

the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).1

2.0 Intermodal Transportation Defined

Intermodal transportation is the process of lifting and transferring loads from one transportation

mode, such as railcars or oceangoing vessels, to one or more alternative transportation modes,

such as regular or modified trucks, barges, rail cars, or other conveyances, to ship the load to its

destination.

Most manufactured goods in commerce are shipped via intermodal transport.2 In the global

transportation of consumer goods and industrial commodities of all types, many products are

packaged by the manufacturer in standardized transportation containers (i.e. sea-land containers)

and shipped on very large container ships. This enables shippers to consolidate their transfer and

subsequent movements thereby reducing transfer times, handling costs, damages and losses. For

example, U.S. West Coast ports and their associated railroad transfer yards achieve efficient

lifting, transfer and movement of containers from ships such that IMT using cross-country rail is

often faster and lower cost than water-only movements of goods to the East Coast or to Europe,

particularly for those too large to pass through the Panama Canal.

1For NEPA analysis of the Yucca Mountain Project, please see Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca

Mountain, Nye County, Nevada – Nevada Rail Transportation Corridor and Final Environmental Impact Statement

for a Rail Alignment for the Construction and Operation of a Railroad in Nevada to a Geologic Repository at Yucca

Mountain, Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS-0250F-S2 and DOE/EIS-0369) (Final Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and

Final Rail Alignment EIS): http://www.ymp.gov/transport/draft_eis/index.shtml, and the Final Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level

Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS-0250F-S1) (Final Repository SEIS):

http://www.ymp.gov/ym_repository/seis/index.shtml. 2 For a comprehensive discussion of freight IMT, see U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway

Administration, Quick Response Freight Manual II, September 2007, Section 13 (found at

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/publications/qrfm2/qrfm.pdf).

http://www.ymp.gov/transport/draft_eis/index.shtml

http://www.ymp.gov/ym_repository/seis/index.shtml

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/publications/qrfm2/qrfm.pdf

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IMT is also commonly used where certain types of on-site transportation capabilities may be

limited or unavailable, particularly when the item to be moved is over-dimension or overweight.

Specialized lifting and transfer equipment such as high-capacity cranes or jacking systems,

transporters such as trailers or barges, and heavy-duty prime-movers such as tractors or tug

boats, may be required. Utilities often employ specialized equipment to move large, heavy

equipment such as reactor vessels, transformers and steam turbines. Intermodal transportation is

also used for transferring SNF casks to, from, and around reactor sites as required for fuel

management purposes.

3.0 Intermodal Transportation of SNF: Background

In April 2004, DOE decided to use the “mostly rail” option for shipping SNF to the proposed

Yucca Mountain repository. In implementing this option, DOE noted it would need a

combination of modes, including rail, truck and possibly barge, to make efficient use of the rail

system.3

Beginning in the mid-1980s, many utilities began to license and construct on-site dry cask

storage facilities, or Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSIs). At these sites,

utilities are transferring SNF from its initial storage in water-filled pools to heavily shielded dry

storage overpacks. In 2005, the DOE announced plans for a canister-based system suitable for

transportation, aging and disposal (TAD) at the Yucca Mountain repository. These dry cask

storage configurations are changing how some facilities are expected to load SNF for transport.

Such loading would involve the transfer of previously-loaded, multi-assembly canisters

(including TADs) using existing and modified transfer casks (also termed overpacks) and

associated machinery. TADs in overpacks are too large and heavy to be shipped by legal weight

or overweight truck, so their widespread use increases the number of origins and volume of SNF

that would need to be shipped by rail.

Where direct rail service to a site is not available, IMT will be needed to transfer SNF casks to a

rail line. The Department cannot use the Nuclear Waste Fund to pay for improvements or

upgrades to public or private infrastructure. Therefore, sites lacking rail access or with

inadequate rail infrastructure would be served by using intermodal transportation, including a

combination of heavy-haul (highway) and barge to transfer casks to a rail line. In addition, at a

number of sites that have rail service, lifting, transfer and movement on-site may be necessary to

bypass SNF buildings too small to handle casks delivered on 85-foot rail cars, or to

accommodate preparing of SNF canisters/TADs for transportation. These on-site movements are

the responsibility of the utility, as they manage similar on-site moves as part of their ongoing

operations, and are not part of DOE’s transportation planning scope.

3 Record of Decision on Mode of Transportation and Nevada Rail Corridor for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel

and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, 69 Fed. Reg. 18557, Apr. 8, 2004.

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As of 2008, 25 of 72 commercial origin sites lack direct railroad service and would be expected

to need off-site intermodal transportation in order to move casks to and from their railcars. 4

This

number could grow over time if local rail service to sites falls into disuse. Of the 47 origin sites

served by rail, 29 (62%) would be expected to use on-site intermodal lifting, transferring and

moving to place casks for SNF canister loading.

Over time, the number of intermodal operations needed could be expected to grow, as the

number of sites using dry storage canisters (and IMT services) increases from 38 in 2007 to an

estimated 66 by 2020. The location where intermodal lifting, transfer and movement operations

would occur would be based on agreements reached between the utility, DOE, local railroads,

local officials, and contracted specialized carriers and riggers.

4.0 Operational Considerations for Intermodal Transport of SNF

Figure 1, Overview of Inter-Modal Activities and Operations, depicts IMT transfer activities and

operations. Intermodal lifting and transfer operations would be conducted at a transfer location

where empty casks would be delivered to origin sites; this process would essentially be reversed

to return loaded casks to their railcars.

The intermodal transfer location could be located outside utility property. Determining its

location would depend on site-specific factors and consultations with the utility, railroad, local

officials, and specialized lifting and transport contractors. Such consultation would begin at least

one year in advance of initial shipments from a site, with a final decision on specific intermodal

transfer locations being made as soon as the route is selected. To avoid repeating site preparation

and equipment setup, intermodal lifting and transfer equipment (e.g. crane) would usually remain

at the transfer location until all the casks slated for near-term delivery are loaded and shipped.

Intermodal moving equipment, including heavy-haul trailers, barges, and tractors would cycle

back and forth between the transfer location and the SNF storage facility at the utility site,

moving casks one at a time. Time saved by utilizing multiple transporters could offset their

increased cost, but this would need to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

4 Based on data provided in the Facility Interface Data Sheets submitted by commercial nuclear operators – see

Table 2. Possibly 70 percent of facilities will be using some type of IMT for on-site operations that are beyond the

scope of DOE transportation planning.

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4.1 Lift: At the selected location, portable lifting equipment would be delivered and set up.

Portable lifting equipment sufficient to lift and transfer 200 tons could itself weigh 200-300 tons,

be up to 100 feet long and may come in multiple segments to be assembled and set up at the

transfer location. Choice of a transfer location and any upgrades to access roads must take into

account the delivery and return of lift equipment as well as heavy-haul moving vehicles. Transfer

location setup could include construction of temporary access roads and crane platforms. Load

platforms or reinforcement pads to prevent destabilizing subsidence during load transfers could

consist of leveled gravel and cribbing, or thick wood or steel plates designed to support the

combination of crane and skid loads of 350 – 400 tons (700,000 – 800,000 lbs). Figure 2, Type

of Equipment Suitable for Lifting and Transferring Cask Skids, is representative of the type and

size of equipment needed to lift and transfer weight-concentrated loads to and from rail cars.

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4.2 Transfer: Once the crane is set up and the cask skid lifting fixture is engaged to the crane

hook and the cask skid,5 the skid-to-railcar deck securements would be disengaged. The crane

would hoist the skid high enough to clear any load obstructions (such as shear boxes used to

prevent load shifting during transportation that are welded to the railcar deck). Then the crane

would pivot to move the skid into position over the heavy-haul transport trailer or barge deck.

After lowering and securing the load, the skid lifting fixture would be disengaged and the crane

returned to its neutral location.

Figure 3, Type of Equipment Suitable for Heavy-Haul Intermodal Movement of Casks, is

representative of the type and size of machinery necessary to move casks into and out of

commercial nuclear facilities lacking direct rail services.

5 The term “skid” as used here refers to a pallet, a flat steel structure used to lift and move the cask resting upon it.

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Figure 4, Type of Equipment Suitable for On-Site Movement of Casks, is typical of equipment

currently used to move dry canister-based SNF storage systems on-site at Independent Spent

Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSIs).

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4.3 Move: With the skid on the heavy-haul trailer or barge load deck and secured, the trailer

or barge would be moved using a heavy-duty prime mover (a tractor for highway or a tugboat for

barge). Prior to any movement from the intermodal transfer area, the trailer, tractor, barge and/or

tugboat would be inspected and any defects corrected. Departure notifications would be made

and escorts (as necessary) positioned.

Figure 5, Alternate SNF Transportation Mode (intermodal – Japan), is representative of a

specially-designed roadworthy transporter used to move SNF casks between ships and Japanese

nuclear plants.

5.0 Intermodal Transportation Coordination Issues

From a logistics planning standpoint, there will be complexities regarding lifting, transferring

and moving weight-concentrated loads of commercial SNF from 72 different commercial nuclear

sites located in 34 states.

Figure 6, Estimated Needs for Intermodal Lifting, Transfer and Moving Operations, (below)

graphically depicts the relative numbers of intermodal operations for current commercial origin

sites. With sufficient technical knowledge, OLM will establish the appropriate division of

responsibilities between OLM, its contractors, specialized carriers and riggers, servicing

railroads, and federal, state and local highway and waterway transport authorities.

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Figure 6 Estimated Needs for Intermodal Lifting, Transfer and Moving Operations

Commercial Nuclear

Plant Rail Interface

(railhead)

Off-Site Railhead (i.e.

nearby commercial

nuclear site)

Rail into SNF Building

having sufficiently large

bay and overhead crane

capacity to handle cask

Rail Service On-Site

(Into “owner-controlled

area”)

Rail Service On-Site

(Into “protected area”)

Site Independent

Spent Fuel Storage

Installations (ISFSI)

Highway H-H Barge + H-H

Yankee-Rowe Cooper

Callaway Browns Ferry

Peach Bottom Indian Point

Big Rock Pt. Diablo Canyon

Kewaunee Humboldt BayOconee Grand Gulf

Palisades Hope Creek/Salem

Point Beach Surry

Ginna Haddam Neck

Seabrook Calvert CliffsOyster Creek

St. Lucie

Turkey Point

Pilgrim

In Owner-Controlled Area

Rancho Seco Trojan

Maine Yankee Columbia

Farley Beaver Valley

Duane Arnold Fermi

Susquehanna Vt. YankeeMonticello Quad Cities

Ft. Calhoun Clinton

North Anna LaCrosse

Crystal River

In Protected Area

Dresden/Morris Comanche Peak

E.I. Hatch LaSalle

Limerick Nine Mile Pt.

Perry River Bend

San Onofre South TexasS. Harris D.C. Cook

Brunswick J.A. Fitzpatrick

In SNF Building Transfer

Davis-Besse Millstone Palo Verde

Sequoyah Waterford Watts Bar

Wolf Creek Arkansas Nuc. Braidwood

Byron Catawba McGuire

Robinson Summer VogtlePrairie Island TMI-1 Zion

Note: Arrows represent movement of materials (e.g., casks) between locations. Locations connected by

double lines represent the intermodal” interface.” Individual facilities are accounted for within the overall

plant name (i.e., Indian Point includes Indian Point 1, 2 & 3).

In addition, the Department will need to develop a general concept of operations and description

of equipment for off-site heavy-haul truck and barge movements and intermodal transfers of its

SNF casks. DOE will also need to develop its approach for involving the commercial

transportation industry that specializes in special carrier operations.

Figure 7, Actions Necessary to Implement Intermodal Transportation Operations, (below)

summarizes some of the remaining technical issues that will need to be addressed before final

transportation plans can be approved and implemented. Because the repository will not begin

operations before 2017, there is ample time to resolve these technical issues.

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Figure 7 Actions Necessary to Implement Intermodal Transportation Operations

State, Tribal & Local

Government

-Preferred transport modes

-Routes and shipment

planning/scheduling

-Infrastructure protection measures

-Public information coordination

-Public safety operations, briefings,

and training

-Physical security/escort

coordination/notification

Nuclear Plant (Origin)

Organization

-Plant safety and security

organizations

-Plant operations

-Plant engineering

Rail Carriers

-Indentify intermodal transfer

facility/location

-Coordinate shipment and

inspection scheduling

-Inspect railcars, accept and

assemble shipments

Intermodal Rigging,

Hauling & Logistics Co.

-Provide equipment and

personnel resources

-Provide shipment planning

and engineering including

routes, permitting, and

infrastructure protection

-Coordinate nuclear plant

and rail transfer interfaces

OCRWM

Office of

Logistics

Management

Specialized Equipment and Services

from Specialized Carriers and Riggers

- Are current industry standards (e.g.

ASME/ASTM) acceptable for design,

fabrication, operation, and maintenance of

heavy-haul lifting, transfer, and moving

equipment?

- Are OLM guidelines needed for design,

fabrication, operation, and maintenance of

heavy-haul lifting, transfer, and moving

equipment?

- Are DOE, OLM, or updated industry

standards needed for barge design,

maintenance, or operations?

6.0 Conclusions

DOE will make maximum use of the substantial experience and capability among U.S.

specialized carriers and riggers to ensure that intermodal transport of SNF will be conducted

safely, securely, efficiently, and at reasonable cost. The Specialized Carriers and Riggers

Association6 lists over 1,200 world-wide members in 43 countries who have the qualifications

and capabilities to lift, transfer and move specialized over-dimension and overweight loads and

consists (e.g. cask skids). Equipment, personnel and resource availability throughout the country

is good, with resources being concentrated around major population and construction locations.

Nonetheless, there are challenges that DOE/OLM will need to address including: institutional,

equipment, operating practices, responsibilities and coordination. These challenges are fully

manageable.

6 Website at http://www.scranet.org/.

http://www.scranet.org/

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Table 1, Options for Moving Canistered SNF from Commercial Nuclear Sites, is based on

updated facility and near-site data obtained in 2004 from the Facility Interface Data Sheets

Information. [MOL.20060121.0173]. Note that Table 1 presents potential options based on

preliminary information; no modal decisions have been made.

Table 1 Options for Moving Canistered SNF from Commercial Nuclear Sites

[Based on 2004 Facility Interface Data Sheet Information – MOL.20060121.0173]

FACILITY NAME

Purple highlighting

indicates shut-down

facility

Note: Potential Options Based on Preliminary Information; No Modal Decisions have been Made

ON-SITE OFF-SITE

Direct transfer

from rail car to

cask loading area

(bare SNF-only)

Transfer from

rail car to site-

specific trailer in

“protected-area”

(canister option)

Transfer from

rail car to site-

specific trailer

in “controlled-

area” (canister

option)

Off-site Heavy-

Haul highway

intermodal

(no further on-

site transfer

required)

Off-site Heavy-

Haul highway to

barge

(no further on-site

transfer required)

Arkansas Nuclear 1 X

Arkansas Nuclear 2 X

Beaver Valley 1 X

Beaver Valley 2 X

Big Rock Point X

Braidwood 1 X

Braidwood 2 X

Browns Ferry 1 X

Browns Ferry 2 X

Browns Ferry 3 X

Brunswick 1 X

Brunswick 2 X

Byron 1 X

Byron 2 X

Callaway X

Calvert Cliffs 1 X

Calvert Cliffs 2 X

Catawba 1 X

Catawba 2 X

Clinton X

Columbia X

Comanche Peak 1 X

Comanche Peak 2 X

Cooper X

Crystal River 3 X

Davis Besse X

D.C. Cook 1 X

D.C. Cook 2 X

Diablo Canyon 1 X

Diablo Canyon 2 X

Dresden 1 X

Dresden 2 X

Dresden 3 X

Duane Arnold X

Farley 1 X

Farley 2 X

Fermi 2 X

J.A. Fitz Patrick X

Fort Calhoun X

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FACILITY NAME

Purple highlighting

indicates shut-down

facility


ON-SITE OFF-SITE

Direct transfer

from rail car to

cask loading area

(bare SNF-only)

Transfer from

rail car to site-

specific trailer in


(canister option)

Transfer from

rail car to site-

specific trailer

in “controlled-

area” (canister

option)

Off-site Heavy-

Haul highway

intermodal

(no further on-

site transfer

required)

Off-site Heavy-

Haul highway to

barge

(no further on-site

transfer required)

R.E. Ginna X

Grand Gulf X

Haddam Neck X

Shearon Harris X

E.I. Hatch 1 X

E.I. Hatch 2 X

Hope Creek X

Humboldt Bay X

Indian Point 1 X

Indian Point 2 X

Indian Point 3 X

Kewaunee X

LaCrosse X

LaSalle 1 X

LaSalle 2 X

Limerick 1 X

Limerick 2 X

Maine Yankee X

McGuire 1 X

McGuire 2 X

Millstone 1 X

Millstone 2 X

Millstone 3 X

Monticello X

Morris X

Nine Mile Point 1 X

Nine Mile Point 2 X

North Anna 1 X

North Anna 2 X

Oconee 1 X

Oconee 2 X

Oconee 3 X

Oyster Creek X

Palisades X

Palo Verde 1 X

Palo Verde 2 X

Palo Verde 3 X

Peach Bottom 2 X

Peach Bottom 3 X

Perry X

Pilgrim X

Point Beach 1 X

Point Beach 2 X

Prairie Island 1 X

Prairie Island 2 X

Quad Cities 1 X

Quad Cities 2 X

Rancho Seco X

River Bend X

H. B. Robinson X

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FACILITY NAME

Purple highlighting

indicates shut-down

facility


ON-SITE OFF-SITE

Direct transfer

from rail car to

cask loading area

(bare SNF-only)

Transfer from

rail car to site-

specific trailer in


(canister option)

Transfer from

rail car to site-

specific trailer

in “controlled-

area” (canister

option)

Off-site Heavy-

Haul highway

intermodal

(no further on-

site transfer

required)

Off-site Heavy-

Haul highway to

barge

(no further on-site

transfer required)

Salem 1 X

Salem 2 X

San Onofre 1 X

San Onofre 2 X

San Onofre 3 X

Seabrook X

Sequoyah 1 X

Sequoyah 2 X

South Texas 1 X

South Texas 2 X

St. Lucie 1 X

St. Lucie 2 X

Summer X

Surry 1 X

Surry 2 X

Susquehanna 1 X

Susquehanna 2 X

Three Mile Island 1 X

Trojan X

Turkey Point 3 X

Turkey Point 4 X

Vermont Yankee X

Vogtle 1 X

Vogtle 2 X

Waterford X

Watts Bar X

Wolf Creek X

Yankee Rowe X

Zion 1 X

Zion 2 X

72 Sites

119 Facilities

18

31

13

24

17

25

10

14

14

25

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