NUCLEAR TRANSPORT | HALEU
HALEU fuel transport packaging
With demand for SMR fuel expecting to soar, developers are working on new types of packaging systems. In response NAC International has revised its OPTIMUS®
transport packaging system
Above: The OPTIMUS®
-L fl eet
TO MEET THE ANTICIPATED NEAR-term demand from SMR developers for the transportation of large quantities of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel, new types of packaging systems are being developed by suppliers. NAC International’s continuing efforts to broaden the capabilities of their packagings show promise. NAC had initially developed the OPTImal Modular Universal Shipping (OPTIMUS®
) packagings to provide Mike Miller
Director of Business Development, Transportation Projects at NAC International
a fiscally and operationally efficient alternative for radioactive material transportation campaigns that relied on the existing packaging options such as large Type B packages or smaller, drum-size Type B packagings. Type B materials present a radiation hazard to the public or the environment and so a Type B package design must demonstrate an ability to withstand normal shipping conditions, but also severe accident conditions without releasing the contents. These Type B materials include intermediate level waste (ILW), transuranic waste (TRU), irradiated fuel waste (IFW), reactor components, experiment wastes, pool debris and reactor products (e.g., sources, irradiated materials, etc.).
32 | December 2022 |
www.neimagazine.com
The technology has continued to develop and the company has revised the design of its OPTIMUS®
transport
packaging systems to support HALEU transport and other fuels that are set to power the SMR revolution.
Transforming effectiveness The versatility of the OPTIMUS®
fundamental to their designs. The OPTIMUS® OPTIMUS®
systems are inherently -L and the
-H both utilize the same interchangeable Cask
Containment Vessels (CCVs) and Shield Insert Assemblies (SIAs). Both types of packagings are configurable with multiple shield inserts, balancing the need for radiation shielding with a minimal shipping weight. The OPTIMUS®
-H configuration is used for
-L packaging configuration is used for low-
activity contents such as contact handled TRU waste, high- assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), and low enriched uranium (LEU). The OPTIMUS®
high activity contents such as remote handled TRU waste, LEU and fissile material. Through the continued expansion of research and design efforts, NAC has developed various content-specific
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