TN Group: Different Solutions for Different Regulatory Contexts

Abstract

The TN group has designed, licensed and manufactured a large number of different transport, storage and dual purpose cask models for spent fuel and vitrified residues. The need to tailor design to real direct requirements (for instance, materials to be stored or transported, as well as site constraints such as crane capacities, access opening size) of the customer has been presented as an important reason explaining this large diversity. In this paper, another reason is discussed: the regulations. National and international transport regulations have a common basis: the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material set forth by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Though the regulations are the same, authorities differ in their approaches, and the paper discusses the example of the materials: depending on the countries, for instance, brittle fracture is dealt with differently, and boronated materials are accepted or not. Storage requirements differ from one site to another. Differences may concern cask closure (double lid or single lid) and its leaktightness monitoring, dose rates criteria, place where casks are stored and the need for an anti-aircraft crash cover. Examples of local requirements and solutions provided by the TN group are discussed. It is shown that the TN group's wide knowledge of regulatory contexts allows TN designers to optimise the designs to take into account these different contexts.