Certification Review of the DC-I Packaging for Transport of HEU Oxide

The Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP) for the DC-I shipping container was submitted to the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Facility Safety Analysis, EH-32, in May, 1994, by the Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (MMES), Oak Ridge Y -12 Plant, through the Enrichment Oversight and Uranium Revitalization Division, NE-32, the cognizant program office at DOE Headquarters for the DC-I. The SARP was part of an application for a DOE Certificate of Compliance for Type B radioactive material packaging. The DC-I (Figure 1) was developed out of a need to ship high-enriched uranium (HEU) oxide powder - both loose and compacted - from the Portsmouth (Ohio) Gaseous Diffusion Plant to Y-12. The uranium oxide is stored at Portsmouth in cans that range from 5 to 8 inches in diameter. It was realized by the packaging designers and those organizing the shipping campaign that uranium stored in containers of 6 inches or more in diameter does not represent a critically safe geometry for all conceivable conditions of moderation and reflection. Moreover, it was learned that Portsmouth does not have the facilities necessary to open up the cans and repackage the oxide into smaller diameter containers, which would have simplified the transportation problem considerably. A transport packaging for such containers, therefore, would have to incorporate special design features to ensure subcriticality and meet regulatory safety requirements. As there was no certified DOE or Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) packaging that would have been suitable for the existing oxide cans, Y -12 was directed to develop a unique packaging for the particular shipping problem at hand.