Year
2007
File Attachment
130.pdf441.18 KB
Abstract
The transport of radioactive material in France concerns the nuclear fuel cycle, the research, the medical use and inspections in civil industry and real estate. Some of these transports are performed with packages the design of which must be approved by the competent authority. According to the IAEA Transport Regulations, the competent authority shall be informed of the serial number of each packaging manufactured according to an approved design: type B or type C package or a package containing fissile material or uranium hexafluoride. In 1999, the IRSN has developed for the French competent authority a comprehensive database (SELENE) where are registered “approved-design” packagings owned by French companies. For each serial number, the recorded data are the type of use, the latest maintenance date, the reference of the approval certificate and other information which are useful for the preparation of inspections. Packagings manufactured according to a design for transportation of 0,1 kg or more of uranium hexafluoride and packagings used to transport radioactive material under special arrangement are also included in this database. The IRSN is in charge of the compilation of the updated data every year. The number of “approved-design” packagings rose from 5 036 in 1999 to 16 222 in 2006. A part of this rise is due to the increase in the number of the identified owners of gamma radiography apparatuses (which are also type B packages) and also the introduction in the database of the cylinders used for the transport of uranium hexafluoride. The IRSN has also developed a database of the approval certificates of package design and of the approval certificates of special form material which are issued by the French competent authority. This database (CERTIR) can be used in emergency situation to provide basic information on the relevant package safety functions. Periodic national emergency exercises allowed testing its efficiency.