Key Issues
Safely Managing Used Nuclear Fuel
<< Previous
Safely Transporting Used Nuclear Fuel
Used nuclear fuel will be transported from nuclear power plants to storage and disposal facilities by rail, truck or barge.
The transportation containers used to ship used fuel typically have walls one foot thick, with radiation-shielding materials sandwiched between outer and inner metal shells. Those designed for truck transportation weigh between 25 and 40 tons and carry one to seven used fuel assemblies. Rail containers weigh up to 125 tons and carry up to 68 assemblies.
To ensure the transportation containers retain their integrity even in the event of an accident, they are designed to withstand a consecutive series of highly destructive tests: a 30-foot fall onto a flat, unyielding surface; a 40-inch drop onto a vertical steel rod; exposure to a 1,475 degree Fahrenheit fully engulfing fire for 30 minutes; and submersion under 3 feet of water for eight hours.
NRC studies show that the engineering requirements presume forces far more destructive than would occur in real accidents. Actual tests carried out in the United States and Europe examine the accuracy of computer models and scale-model tests to analyze the ability of containers to withstand the most severe accidents.
In these tests, containers were crashed into unyielding concrete walls at more than 65 miles per hour and hit by locomotives traveling at 80 mph. Researchers also exposed the containers to fully engulfing fires, dropped massive weights on them and detonated gas tanks next to them. The containers used in these brutal tests survived intact, verifying the integrity of their design.
During the past 40 years, more than 3,000 shipments of used fuel have been completed safely in the United States, covering 1.7 million highway, rail and barge miles. Outside the United States, there have been tens of thousands of safe shipments of used nuclear fuel.
Although vehicle accidents have occurred, there has been no release of radioactive materials from the containers or a single injury attributed to the cargo’s radioactive nature. According to DOE, when the federal government opens a permanent repository, about 175 used fuel shipments will travel to Yucca Mountain each year, moving 300 to 500 containers annually.
Conclusion
Since the 1950s, scientific organizations around the world have examined the issue of radioactive waste management. Most organizations—including the National Academy of Sciences, Office of Technology Assessment, International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency—have reached the same conclusion. They believe the best and safest long-term option for safely managing high-level radioactive waste is deep geologic disposal.
Yucca Mountain is the most extensively studied geologic disposal site in the world. Multiple analyses of the scientific data collected at the site show that used nuclear fuel can safely be stored there for thousands of years until radioactive decay renders the material no longer hazardous.
Safely Transporting Used Nuclear Fuel
Used nuclear fuel will be transported from nuclear power plants to storage and disposal facilities by rail, truck or barge.
The transportation containers used to ship used fuel typically have walls one foot thick, with radiation-shielding materials sandwiched between outer and inner metal shells. Those designed for truck transportation weigh between 25 and 40 tons and carry one to seven used fuel assemblies. Rail containers weigh up to 125 tons and carry up to 68 assemblies.
To ensure the transportation containers retain their integrity even in the event of an accident, they are designed to withstand a consecutive series of highly destructive tests: a 30-foot fall onto a flat, unyielding surface; a 40-inch drop onto a vertical steel rod; exposure to a 1,475 degree Fahrenheit fully engulfing fire for 30 minutes; and submersion under 3 feet of water for eight hours.
NRC studies show that the engineering requirements presume forces far more destructive than would occur in real accidents. Actual tests carried out in the United States and Europe examine the accuracy of computer models and scale-model tests to analyze the ability of containers to withstand the most severe accidents.
In these tests, containers were crashed into unyielding concrete walls at more than 65 miles per hour and hit by locomotives traveling at 80 mph. Researchers also exposed the containers to fully engulfing fires, dropped massive weights on them and detonated gas tanks next to them. The containers used in these brutal tests survived intact, verifying the integrity of their design.
During the past 40 years, more than 3,000 shipments of used fuel have been completed safely in the United States, covering 1.7 million highway, rail and barge miles. Outside the United States, there have been tens of thousands of safe shipments of used nuclear fuel.
Although vehicle accidents have occurred, there has been no release of radioactive materials from the containers or a single injury attributed to the cargo’s radioactive nature. According to DOE, when the federal government opens a permanent repository, about 175 used fuel shipments will travel to Yucca Mountain each year, moving 300 to 500 containers annually.
Conclusion
Since the 1950s, scientific organizations around the world have examined the issue of radioactive waste management. Most organizations—including the National Academy of Sciences, Office of Technology Assessment, International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency—have reached the same conclusion. They believe the best and safest long-term option for safely managing high-level radioactive waste is deep geologic disposal.
Yucca Mountain is the most extensively studied geologic disposal site in the world. Multiple analyses of the scientific data collected at the site show that used nuclear fuel can safely be stored there for thousands of years until radioactive decay renders the material no longer hazardous.
