LIQUID WASTE TRANSPORT PACKAGES : HOW TO DEAL WITH THE SPECIFIC CONSTRAINTS GENERATED BY LIQUIDS ?

CEA is a technological and research organisation that has an extensive experience in designing, manufacturing, licensing and operating of nuclear transport packages for its own various needs between its nuclear facilities spread all over France. Among all the nuclear material transported, liquid radioactive waste generates specific constraints at each step from the design to the final operation that have to be taken into account to allow the success of the transport in safe conditions. This paper will present an overview of the packages and ADR tanks developed and operated by CEA for liquid waste in acidic and aqueous solutions but also in organic solutions, from low activity to high activity levels, and covering all types of transport packages from IP2 tanks to type B packages. A state of the art of the currently in-use CEA transport packages for liquid waste will be made (LR54, LR56, LR144, LR154, SORG) focusing on how their design distinctive features fit with the chemical and radiological content, with respect to the ADR or IAEA regulations. This wide range of packages will be used to illustrate and highlight some of the specific topics due to liquid waste transport, from the design phase to operation and maintenance, such as : - corrosion prevention : choice of tank materials (steels and gaskets) in regards to the corrosion forms, extra thickness of steels, qualification of welds, adequate rinsing - corrosion monitoring : sample tests, periodic inspections - safety topics during licensing process : liquid phase transformation below 0°C (32°F), how to deal with permanent operating systems during drop tests in term of mechanical behaviour or leak tightness - precipitation and significant impurities management : radiation protection calculations, operative measures against pipe stopping up like bubbling system or sieves - IP2 tank controls and tests: rail impact test on a tank container prototype during manufacturing, tightness and hydraulic tests during maintenance - filling and discharging phases : accidental spillage prevention and flow rate monitoring by using a distributed control system that pilots operating safety equipments (vacuum pump, valves, liquid level and pressure sensors)