TRANSPORT OF ABNORMAL INDIVISIBLE RADIOACTIVE LOADS

During the decommissioning of nuclear installations many contaminated pieces of equipment are removed from the installation which, were they not to be further dismantled, would be far larger than the loads normally allowed to be transported on the transport infrastructure. Dismantling of such equipment can, however, lead to a risk of release of the activity they contain into the environment. There is often, therefore, a strong ALARP argument that these large components should be transported and disposed of without being further dismantled. Movement of such a load is often as much a transport logistics problem as it is a radiological one. In November 2007 the Great Britain (GB) Department for Transport hosted a seminar focused on this issue as it affects the UK. Although that seminar was focused on GB issues, many of the points raised during it will be of interest to the international community. This paper summarises the key points from the 2007 seminar and also provides an update on the proposed large load provisions for the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material.