NAC INTERNATIONAL | ADVERTORIAL FEATURE
HALEU Fuel Transport: NAC International’s OPTIMUS®
Systems OPA LID CCV OPA BOLTS OPA BASE
Above (from left to right): TRISO Particle Source:
Energy.gov
OPTIMUS® -L
Deployed OPTIMUS® Packaging Systems
-L
NAC INTERNATIONAL’S PATENTED OPTIMAL MODULAR Universal Shipping (OPTIMUS®
capacity, cost-effective OPTIMUS® ) transport packaging systems
are certified Type B(U)F packagings that are ideal for transporting a variety of radioactive materials, including Type B quantities of intermediate level waste (ILW), transuranic waste (TRU), irradiated fuel waste (IFW), reactor components, laboratory and experiment wastes, pool debris, and reactor products (e.g., sealed sources, irradiated materials, etc.). The OPTIMUS®
-L is used for low-activity
contents such as contact-handled TRU waste, high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), and low enriched uranium (LEU), whereas OPTIMUS®
-H is used for high activity contents
such as remote-handled TRU waste, LEU and fissile material. Both packagings are configurable with multiple shield insert assemblies (SIAs), balancing the need for radiation shielding with minimal shipping weight. These small, light modular packages are easily handled using cranes or forklifts and are ideal for facilities with restricted access and low crane capacity. The packagings are designed to support legal weight truck (LWT) shipments and can be used in multiple transport configurations. The small size of the OPTIMUS®
-L packaging, combined
with its relatively large cavity size, payload capacity, and the ability to transport several packages on a single LWT shipment, make it an ideal packaging for transportation of different forms of HALEU fuels, including HALEU feedstock in the form of metal ingots or UO2
powder and TRISO
compacts/pebbles. An independent evaluation of the OPTIMUS®
-L packaging performed through collaboration
of Idaho National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, confirmed that a single LWT shipment of OPTIMUS®
-L packages will transport 250%
of the UO2 HALEU contents possible with an alternative, more traditional Type B(U)F packaging1
.
To meet the anticipated near-term demand from Small Modular Reactor developers for the transportation of large quantities of HALEU fuel, NAC has developed a high-
References 1
Eidelpes, et. al., “UO2 HALEU Transportation Package
Evaluation and Recommendations,” INL/EXT 19 56333, Revision 0, November 2019.
-L packaging configuration
for TRISO compacts. NAC has demonstrated that a total of five (5) OPTIMUS®
-L packages with the maximum number
of TRISO compacts can be transported in a single LWT shipment while satisfying the regulatory requirements for criticality with significant margin, far exceeding the capacity of the competition. An application to amend the OPTIMUS®
-L U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission certificate for HALEU contents is in the process of submittal in 2022 with first transportation planned for Q1 of 2024. NAC has fabricated and deployed 26 OPTIMUS®
systems
and over 20 basket and insert assemblies, with an additional four systems and two SIAs to be delivered by Q4 of 2022. NAC is currently designing two new OPTIMUS® packaging systems for additional contents, and several engineered basket assemblies are currently in the pre- approval design phase with a projected 2024 deployment window. The OPTIMUS®
-L is scheduled to execute its first domestic shipment in Q3/Q4 of 2022. ■
For additional information about the OPTIMUS® Systems, please contact Mike Miller, Director of Business Development, Transportation Projects:
mmiller@nacintl.com / (724) 480-7592 or visit us at
www.nacintl.com
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