Russian expertise in certification of packages for transportation of fresh nuclear fuel in accordance with safety requirements of IAEA Rules (TS-R-1) concerning transportation of fissile materials by air

Issue of new edition of the international Rules ?S-R-1, where requirements for FM transportation by air are stricter, imposes actually a ban on transportation of fresh nuclear fuel (FNF) from power reactors and research reactors by air with use of the existing fleet of packages, which have been developed and certified without account for these new requirements. This circumstance would strongly complicate conduction of obligations, including international obligations, by the RF Rosatom plants, which are responsible for FNF transportation. Due to this reason, RFNC–VNIIEF performed a large complex of works for updating and certification of the basic row of packages for FNF from research reactors and power reactors for adequacy of them to the requirements of TS-R-1 on safety of FM transportations by air. The following scope was accomplished. 1. Numerical research was performed for response of all types of packages to loadings simulating an airplane crash. 2. Full-scale tests were conducted using the packages in accordance with the requirements of TS-R-1, including tests with impact against a target with velocity of 90m/s. 3. Basing on results of the tests and the research, certification were performed for the packages intended for FNF transportation. As a result, Russia has presently a new certified fleet of transport packages for transportation of FNF and its components, which comply with the safety requirements of TSR-1 for packages transported by air. All types of packages got certificates-approvals from the RF Rosatom. Basing on these certificates, internal and international air transportations of FNF are currently accomplished, including under the frames of the intergovernmental RussianAmerican Agreement on collaboration for returning of Russia-made nuclear fuel from research reactors to the RF. The Agreement was signed in May, 2004. In total, nearly 240 kg of uranium-235 were returned presently to Russia from Yugoslavia, Libya, Bulgaria, Rumania, Czechia, Uzbekistan, Germany, Latvia. The paper will present results of analysis and tests, which were performed during the certification works for the basic row of packages intended for transportation of FNF by air.