Development of an application for approval of a design of material as fissile excepted

Radioactive Waste Management Ltd (RWM) is responsible for developing a geological disposal facility for the UK’s higher activity waste. In support of this RWM develops and maintains a generic transport system design to demonstrate that radioactive waste packaged now will be safe to transport to a geological disposal facility in the future.The 2012 edition of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material introduces a major revision to the provisions for the transport of fissile nuclides in a package that is not Competent Authority approved to contain fissile material. A new provision allows multilateral approval of a design of material as fissile excepted. Many higher activity waste materials planned for disposal at a geological disposal facility are candidates for shipment under that provision.RWM working together with International Nuclear Services and Sellafield Ltd has developed an application for material containing low concentrations of fissile nuclides. The application is generic and is intended to be applicable to a broad range of fissile nuclide bearing waste materials. This paper describes the development of RWM's application.