international multi- modal shipments of spent nuclear fuel ... conference on the management of spent...

Sergei V. Komarov, Alexey A. Ivashchenko

Presented by Anton Yu. Leshchenko

Sosny R&D Company, Russia

International Conference on the Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors 2019 24–28 June 2019, Vienna, Austria

International Multi-Modal Shipments of Spent Nuclear Fuel Through the Example of Research Reactor SNF Return Programs

24–28 June 2019, Vienna, Austria

2 Introduction

Over a period of 2006-2017, the Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return (RRRFR) Program has performed SNF shipments from 13 countries.

A wide variety of specific problems associated with preparation and transportation of nuclear fuel of various types and condition from the sites with poor infrastructure was solved.

Almost all transport modes (road, sea, rail, and air) were used and special equipment for SNF package transportation was developed.

The RRRFR program's experience has been widely used in the International MNSR HEU Take-Back Program.

road

air

water


3 Preparation of Damaged RR SNF for Transportation

Damaged spent fuel of heavy water reactor RA, Vinča Institute, Serbia

Equipment and tools for cutting primary package, loading the SNF into canisters, handling the canisters and loading them into casks

Ventilated canisters for SNF temporary storage and transportation

New large-capacity baskets

for SKODA VPVR/M casks

Working frame, video surveillance and lighting systems

Transit through Hungary and Slovenia

Road, rail, sea, and air transport modes

Single SNF shipment

8030 TVR-S SFAs were stored in non-standard packages and corroded during long-term storage in poor-quality water.

RRRF

R pr

ogra

m: S

NF

prep

arat

ion

for s

hipm

ent


4 Preparation of RR Liquid Spent Nuclear Fuel for Transportation

Uranyl sulphate solution enriched to 90% in uranium-235 from the IIN-3M reactor at FOTON JSC, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Special equipment for batch discharge and temporary storage of high-enriched uranyl sulphate solution

Canisters for liquid SNF and polyethylene shock absorbers for dynamic protection of the radioactive content of the SKODA VPVR/M cask

Decommissioning of IIN-3M reactor required discharging the liquid SNF from the reactor vessel and its removal to a reprocessing plant.

Transfer cask for loading LSNF into SKODA VPVR/M cask

Equipment for the LSNF discharge from

the transport canister into the reprocessing line

at Mayak PA

RRRF

R pr

ogra

m: S

NF

prep

arat

ion

for s

hipm

ent


5 Techniques and Equipment for Loading RR SFAs into Shipping Casks

Transfer cask with an automatic grapple for safe "air" loading of spent fuel into TUK-19 cask, when placing the cask in the reactor pool is impossible. Auxiliary equipment for installation of transfer cask above the reactor pool

TUK-19

SKODA VPVR/M cask

Transfer casks of various design for top loading of spent fuel into SKODA VPVR/M cask and auxiliary equipment (frames, a support plate, an adapter, guide tubes) to install the transfer casks above the reactor pool and on top of the SKODA VPVR/M cask

Some of the RR sites were not fit for SFA loading into casks.

RRRF

R pr

ogra

m: S

NF

prep

arat

ion

for s

hipm

ent


6 RR SNF Shipping by Land

SKODA VPVR/M cask installed in a freight ISO container is inherently fit for multimodal shipment by all means of transport except air-borne ones.

Certification of SKODA VPVR/M cask for shipment in the Russian Federation and development of the procedure for the cask receipt at Mayak PA extended the fleet of shipping casks used for the RRRFR Program

RRRF

R pr

ogra

m: E

volu

tion

of m

utim

odal

ship

men

ts

In early stages of the RRRFR program, TUK-19 casks used to be installed either in special frames, when transported by road, or in TK-5 rail cars, when transported by rail.

Development of a special transport overpack (a large-capacity freight container with tie-downs for three TUK-19 casks) has unified TUK-19 reloading operations for different transport means.


7 RR SNF Shipping by Water

MCL Trader before refit

after refit

In early stages of the RRRFR program, a sea–river barge and the Danish Class INF-2 ship LYNX were used for sea shipping.

The refit of the Russian sea vessel MCL Trader owned by ASPOL-Baltic Concern to meet the INF-2 requirements allowed shipping larger RR SNF amounts. Later on, two more ASPOL-Baltic's

vessels, i.e. Mikhail Dudin, built in 1996

and Baltiyskiy-202, built in 1994 were involved.

The vessels have a large displacement tonnage, enable loading packages with deck cranes and are adapted for navigation in the northern latitudes.

RRRF

R pr

ogra

m: E

volu

tion

of m

ulim

odal

ship

men

ts


8 RR SNF Shipping by Air

To transport ТUК-145/С by road, a special semi-trailer with a removable fastening frame and special tie-downs for securing the semi-trailer inside the AN-124-100 aircraft was designed.

TUK-145/C can be loaded on board the aircraft and shipped using a roller track or right on the semi-trailer.

The TUK-19 cask as part of a packaging was certified as a Type B(U) package for air shipment of the RR SNF with an activity less

than 3000A2.

ТУК-145/С packaging consisting of an energy-absorbing overpack and a SKODA VPVR/M shipping cask was developed for transportation of RR SNF of unlimited activity. ТUК-145/С was certified as a Type C package for shipping by land, water and air.

RRRF

R pr

ogra

m: E

volu

tion

of m

ultim

odal

ship

men

ts


9 Evolution of RRRFR Multimodal Shipments of RR SNF

Consignor

Load the ISO container with SKODA VPVR/M cask

onto the truck

Railway terminal

Load the overpack onto the rail car

Consignee

Receive

Consignor

Load the ISO container with SKODA VPVR/M cask

onto the truck

Railway terminal

Load the overpack onto a flat rail car

Consignor's port

Reload the overpack onto the

vessel

Consignee

Receive

Consignee's port

Reload the overpack onto a

flat rail car

Hungary, 2008 Poland, 2009 Serbia, 2010

Czech Republic, 2008 Ukraine, 2009 Belarus, 2010


10

Consignor

Load the ISO container with the TUK-19 cask

onto the truck

Consignor's airport

Load the cargo into the aircraft

Consignee's airport

Reload the overpack onto the truck

Consignee

Receive

Consignor

Make up the TUK-145/С

package on the semi-trailer (on the reactor site or at the airport)

Consignor's airport

Load the semi-trailer with the TUK-145/C package into the

aircraft

Consignee's airport

Offload the semi-trailer with the TUK-145/С package from the

aircraft

Consignee

Receive the cargo

Evolution of RRRFR multimodal shipments of RR SNF

Romania, 2009 Latvia, 2009 Kazakhstan, 2017

Hungary, 2013 Uzbekistan, 2015


11 M

NSR

con

vers

ion

prog

ram

Shipment of Radioactive Material from Ghana to China

An MNSR core containing ~ 1 kg of 90%-enriched uranium

No technology for handling the MNSR SNF has ever existed

An automatic remotely-controlled transfer cask for the MNSR SNF reloading from the reactor into the shipping cask and auxiliary equipment were developed for the safe SNF handling on the GHARR-1 reactor site, Accra, Ghana.

TUK-145/C was upgraded with a special basket with impact-absorbers installed in the SKODA VPVR/M cask for transportation of the spent MNSR core.

In November 2017, the upgraded TUK-145/C cask was successfully used for air shipment of the spent MNSR core and eight fresh fuel rods from the Ghanaian GHARR-1 reactor to China. The spent fuel was reloaded into the CIAE storage pool, China, with a transfer cask.

The MNSR SNF handling and shipping technology was developed and applied practically for the first time. The equipment and experience were used further for other projects.


12 M

NSR

con

vers

ion

prog

ram

Shipment of Radioactive Material from Nigeria to China

Removal of the spent fuel from the NIRR-1 reactor at the Center for Energy Research and Training in Zaria, Nigeria and specific reactor infrastructure, administrative and security requirements for the removal required developing and implementing engineering solutions to modify the technology and equipment for SNF reloading from the reactor core into the packaging, personnel training, and the removal management in Nigeria. In December 2018, an air shipment of the MNSR spent fuel from Nigeria and China

took place.


13 Harmonization of International Approach to Shipment Arrangement The worldwide trend to unify design and RM transport conditions requirements on the basis of the IAEA recommendations

broadens options of international shipments and simplifies licensing procedures. In addition to the IAEA recommendations, many countries impose national requirements adding complexity to administrative

approval procedures:

Russia France Vietnam China

ban on NM shipments by passenger aircraft,

specific regulator's authorization (license) for NM shipment by air transport,

approval of the design of the Type A package with non-fissile material,

an additional regulator's authorization for certain air shipments over the territory of France,

similar authorization procedure (in particular, the prime minister's written authorization) for any radioactive material shipments including empty packagings (ООН2908),

design approval for some cases, when the IAEA recommendations do not require multilateral approval, for instance, for Type B(U) package containing fissile-excepted radioactive materials (ООН2916).

Most of the countries endorse the Russian certificate for the package design and issue a separate certificate for the package shipment in compliance with national administrative procedures. The certificate of shipment approval go under different names and formats in different countries. National procedures for getting an OVF permit for a chartered plane carrying a radioactive cargo can differ significantly in

different countries. Frequently required additional documents (endorsed certificate of the package design in the countries of departure and landing, import and export licenses, OVF permits from all countries of transit, departure and landing.

Pecu

liarit

ies o

f int

erna

tiona

l SN

F sh

ippi

ng a

rran

gem

ent


14 Conclusions

High Enriched Uranium Take-Back Programs have really boosted the development of the SNF safe handling technologies and the SNF transport equipment.

Experience in multimodal shipment arrangements and the engineering solutions developed by Sosny R&D Company are universal and can be applied (and have already been applied) in any projects involving handling the spent nuclear fuel from the research, power and propulsion reactors.

Thank you for attention!

+7 (84235) 3-98-29 www.sosnycompany.com

international multi- modal shipments of spent nuclear fuel ... conference on the management of spent...

Documents