The Development of an On-Site Container*

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has developed a package for the on-site transport of chemical munitions for the U.S. Army. This package was designed to prevent the release of lethal quantities of chemical agents during transportation of munitions to the demilitarization facilities on-site. The packaging prevents auto-ignition of the munitions by limiting the thermal and structural assault on the munitions during an accident. This package, with some modifications to account for contents, may be suitable for the on-site transport of mixed wastes at United States Department of Energy facilities. This paper discusses the design and verification testing of the package. The safety criteria for the package were modeled after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hypothetical accident sequence and modified to take credit for operational controls. The modified accident sequence consisted of drop, puncture, and thermal events. The post-accident leak rate was established to prevent harm to an exposed worker. The packaging has a mass of 8600 kg and can accommodate up to 3600 kg of contents. The interior of the package is 188 ern in diameter and 232 em long. Two sample ports can be used to sample the interior of the package prior to opening the closure and an o-ring test port can be used to determine the leak rates prior to and after transport.