Year
2010
Abstract
U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Specification 6M containers had been the workhorses for the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) for over 20 years (specification source: U. S. Code of Federal Regulations, 49 CFR 178.354; 2003). The two most popular sizes of this specification container were the 55-gallon and 110-gallon models. As of September 30, 2008, all 6M specification containers were phased out by DOT because they did not conform to the latest transportation safety requirements in the U. S. Code of Federal Regulations, 10 CFR 71. The anticipation of this action prompted DOE to develop the ES-3100 and ES-4100 shipping containers as replacements. The ES-3100 development is complete and has been fully implemented to replace the 55-gallon 6M model. The ES-4100 development project began in late 2006 and is expected to be operational in FY 2012 as a replacement for the 110-gallon 6M model. The ES-3100 was first licensed in April 2006 by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Since then, the license has been revised 9 times to add new material authorizations. The ES-3100 was operationally ready for use at several sites by September 2007, and is now used on a regular basis for materials that had previously been shipped in the DOT 6M 55-gallon model. In addition, the ES-3100 has been certified for air transport in support of foreign research reactor fuel supply and international nonproliferation efforts. This container recently obtained a license from the DOE Shipping Container Certifying Official (DOE Environmental Management Program), as well as a Competent Authority Certificate from the U. S. DOT. The ES-3100 license allows many forms of fissile material to be shipped internationally, and continues to be amended to authorize additional material types for a variety of users. The ES-4100 project has successfully completed all regulatory testing and the license application is planned to be submitted in the fall of 2010. This paper discusses the detailed status of both of these Type B shipping containers. It gives the latest operational information for current users, and for those organizations who wish to become users in both the U. S. and worldwide.