QUALITY ASSURANCE ASPECTS OF THE FABRICATION OF THE AGN 1 CASK AND ITS TRANSPORT WITH SPENT FUEL

The AGN I is the first cask for LWR spent fuel entirely designed and fabricated in Italy. The cask, made with a thick steel forging, has a maximum capacity of 7 elements; two ellipsoidal shock absorbers are connected to the ends of the body. The fuel elements are spaced and supported by a stainless steel basket provided with boron poisoned steel channels for criticality control. A finned water jacket is placed around the cylindrical surface to provide neutron shielding. Some of these aspects may be considered a completely new concept and design. The basic design of the cask was developed by AGIP and extended, through the detailed mechanical and thermal design to the stage of fabrication documents by the Nuovo Pignone Company, which is also the manufacturer. The most significant activities performed by Nuovo Pignone, with particular reference to qualitY assurance, are outlined in the paper. Since 1984, the AGN I has been in continuous use for the removal of spent fuel from the Trino Vercellese and Garigliano power plants to the storage pool at Avogadro. The transport campaign from Garigliano to Avogadro is performed by Borghi Nucleare, which was requested also to be responsible for the supply under proper quality assurance of all related services and en&ineerine support. The AGN I non-stop transport from Garigliano to Avogadro, in fact, owing to the long distance to be covered, is one of the most demanding in Europe. In the paper, some of the most significant transport quality assurance aspects are summarized.