FIBERGLASS REINFORCED PLASTIC IP-2 CONTAINER FOR THE TRANSPORT OF URANIUM ORE SLURRY

AREVA Resources Canada, Inc. (ARC) and Cameco Corporation requested Transnuclear, Inc. (TN) and AREVA Federal Services LLC (AFS) to redesign their transport containers used to transport uranium ore slurry from remote mines to processing facilities in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The design requirements stipulated that the containers must be compatible with the loading and unloading equipment at the facilities and meet International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Industrial Packaging, Type 2 (IP-2) requirements. The slurry container is an upgrade to the all-steel 5 m3 (177 ft3 ) container now in service. Due to production increases at the mines, the design requirements emphasize optimizing operational efficiency, including increasing the carrying capacity of the containers. AFS designed a Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) container that is strong and light weight, and has an increased capacity of approximately 44% (from 5.0 m3 to 7.2 m3 ), the AREVA 7 m3 slurry container, or ASC7. The ASC7 consists of a nominal 32 mm (1.26 in) thick FRP cylindrical shaped inner vessel housed in an approximately 2.6 m (8.5 ft) FRP cube shaped outer container with 16 mm (5/8 in) thick walls, reinforced with a structural steel inner frame. The ASC7 inner vessel is protected by specially designed closed cell polyurethane rigid foam poured in place between the inner vessel and the outer container. The foam provides thermal protection and, in accordance with IAEA IP-2 requirements, mitigates sufficient energy as the result of an impact in an upset condition. A horizontally mounted, pneumatically actuated, knife gate valve provides access to the inner vessel for loading and unloading the slurry. The ASC7 includes a non-structural fiberglass drip pan that acts as a cover to protect the valve from the elements and guides the fill or removal pipes to the inner vessel. The loaded ASC7 weighs up to 14,500 kg (3,200 lb). The ASC7 is mounted on a flat-bed trailer using industry standard ISO corner fittings integral to the ASC7’s steel structural frame. The ASC7 is designed for use on paved and unpaved roads at ambient conditions ranging from +40o C (+104o F) to –50o C (-58o F). The ASC7 qualified as an IAEA IP-2 package after a 60 cm (23.6 in) free drop testing program. The testing consisted of loading the ASC7 with simulated ore slurry, and performing a horizontal side free drop and a CG-over-top edge free drop. The testing program observed no loss of content or any damage to the inner vessel or the knife gate valve.