LARGE SHIELDED CONTAINERS FOR TRANSPORT OF REACTOR WASTES TO THEIR FINAL REPOSITORY IN SWEDEN

A central repository for reactor wastes (SFR) has been under construction in Sweden since 1983. The repository is situated in crystalline rock under the sea at the harbour of the Forsmark Nuclear Power Station. The repository will be in operation in early 1988. Since all Swedish nuclear facilities are located on the coast, a sea transport system has been found to be appropriate, and a specially designed ship has been built. This ship and the fuel transport flasks, together with special land transport vehicles, have been in operation since 1982 for the transport of irradiated LWR fuel. The same ship and the same types of vehicles will also be used for the transport of reactor wastes that require shielding. The shielded transport containers in which the reactor wastes will be transported to SFR must accept the following main waste packages: (I) Cubical moulds, 1.2 m side or 200 L drums with, for example, ion exchange resins solidified in cement or bitumen. (2) Large concrete tanks (3.3 m length, 1.3 m width, 2.3 m height) with dewatered, low level ion exchange resins. The surface dose rate on the moulds and drums can range between I 0 and 500 mSv/ h and up to 10 mSv/ h for the large concrete tanks. The gross weight of the shielded transport container will be limited to 120 t. The limiting factor is the maximum payload for the ship. The ship can carry ten shielded transport containers. However, the vehicle transport in the tunnel down to the repository area will also restrict the load of these containers. A full-size prototype container with 80 mm wall thickness has been designed, manufactured and tested during 1985. The detailed design of all types of shielded containers started in the autumn of 1985. Manufacturing will take place during 1986 and 1987. The fli'St con tamers will be needed by mid-1987 for testing of the various transport and handling systems at SFR.