PROTOTYPE TEST OF A NEW MOX POWDER TRANSPORT PACKAGING - Presentation

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA] is planning to transport uranium and plutonium mixed oxide [MOX] powder for the prototype fast breeder reactor ‘‘MONJU’’ and experimental fast reactor ‘‘JOYO’’ from the commercial Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant [RRP] operated by Japan Nuclear Fuels Limited [JNFL] in Rokkasho-mura at the northernmost prefecture on the Japanese mainland of Honshu. The design and analyses for the new packaging for transporting the MOX from the RRP to the JAEA Plutonium Fuel Fabrication Facility [PFPF] in Tokai-mura, Ibaraki Prefecture, started in 2002. The packaging configuration is approximately 1.4m in diameter and 2.2m in height; package weight is approximately 4 tons. The contents are storage canisters containing three MOX powder cans. The design concept is to have the simple and compact design satisfying the required technical standard as much as possible in consideration of operation limitation of its weight and size in the facilities. The demonstration performance tests according to the requirements for Type BU-F package in IAEA TS-R-1, 2005 Edition were conducted using a 1/1 full scale prototype packaging from 2007 to 2009. It was confirmed to meet the technical standard. The research for the test facilities in advance has been carried out in consideration of test items. The test data to be measured and these positions have been investigated carefully too. The logic of the safety analysis method was confirmed by these test results. When designing and manufacturing the packaging, explanation to the basic policy of quality control and manufacturing detail and the examination relates to the quality control are done in the system of law in Japan. In the fabrication of the prototype packaging, the quality control was done in the fabrication of special material such as neutron shield and welding. And it was confirmed that the manufacturing difficulty would not be foreseen. In the paper, the test results and the logic of the safety analysis method are presented.