IAEA SELF ASSESSMENT PACKAGE TYPES METHODS FOR LEAK TESTING - Presentation

In preparation for TRANSCC 18 in 2009 several aspects of leak test methods and their associated pass/fail criteria for Industrial and Type A packagings (ie non Competent Authority Approved packages) were discussed and proposals submitted to change the criteria. It emerged that whilst there was existing guidance on this subject and that the regulations specified ‘no loss’ the practicalities of testing had not been addressed sufficiently, since ‘no loss’ was not a justifiable pass criteria. It was suggested that a briefing paper should be produced to present what the current leak testing practice was for packages that do not require Competent Authority approval (Excepted, IP- 1,2 ,3 & Type A). The paper below forms the spine of that briefing paper and draws on the experience of Gravatom and LLW Repository for the testing of such package types. The paper considers and describes; • the existing regulatory status and the associated guidance; • qualitative methods including liquid immersion/bubble detection, pressure and particulate simulant; • the applicability of methods for a range of designs including vials, drums, boxes and Freight Containers; • the accuracy, advantages, practicality and limitations of the qualitative methods presented; • the relationship of such methods to package types permitted to be used under the alternative arrangements for IP-2/3 package types e.g.UN tested packagings • economics of the methods The paper will then describe several case studies based on a range of packaging, e.g Type A liquid vial packages, IP-2 Freight Containers etc.