Surveillance of quality assurance in the manufacture of spent fuel and HLW transport and storage casks

The purpose of quality assurance measures in the manufacture of packagings for radioactive materials is to ensure that the series sample conforms to the design that was authorised in the design approval certificate, and fulfils all the required qualities. In Germany, the basis of this process is the TRV 006 (Technical Rules Traffic). This describes the requirements on the manufacturer and a system of supervision for the production process. Packaging components are divided into 3 classification levels according to their importance for safety. Compliance with the requirements of the highest classification level is supervised directly by the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) as German competent authority or consulted experts to a high extent. In the lecture, an example will be given for the qualification of a foundry for the production of cask bodies made of ductile cast iron. The results will be presented. Production based on the parts list and drawings stated in the design approval certificate for the package is supervised and documented by a quality assurance program. This is pre-checked and released by BAM. For all non-conformances in manufacturing, non-conformance reports have to be issued by the manufacturer and evaluated by BAM. These are itemised in the acceptance certificate, which certifies the conformity of the series sample with the approved design. Details of this supervision system, experience of several hundred manufactured casks and results will be presented.