OPTIMIZATION OF FLASK MAINTENANCE A FRENCH EXPERIENCE

At any time during operation, transport flasks for radioactive material must remain as safe as they were designed to be. Beyond safety, the maintenance must assure at lowest cost that the flasks stay available and operable without any problem. An optimization is therefore necessary in order to reconcile these constraints. This paper describes the steps taken by the maintenance company MMT so that experience acquired translates into optimizing the maintenance policy, upgrading maintenance techniques, shortening down-times, decreasing personal exposure doses, and also into upgrading the design and operability of existing and future flasks. It concludes that cooperation between the maintenance company and the designer is essential for optimization.