Official Monitoring of the Quality Assurance in the Manufacturing of Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste Transport and Storage Casks

As for the transport and the interim storage of spent fuel and high–level waste an increasing number of casks are manufactured according to the German design approval certificate. The system of quality assurance is based on the liability of the licensees and manufacturers themselves, and is supplemented by a comprehensive official monitoring. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) bear full responsibility for the surveillance of the quality assurance in the manufacturing of these packagings. Basis of this process is the German regulation TRV 006 (Technical Rules Traffic). It defines requirements for the production and testing to ensure that the series sample conforms to the authorised design. The main steps of the official supervision are: - Examination of the manufacturers’ qualification including his sub – suppliers, - Qualification of materials and specific fabrication processes, - Examination of the specific quality assurance program adapted to the scope of production, - Approval of master documents such as specifications and manufacturing- and test plans, - Technical inspections during the manufacturing of components and final tests before commissioning, - Assessment of non-conformities, - Final verification of the documentation for correctness and completeness and issuing an acceptance certificate for the packagings. As consulted experts of BAM, employees of TÜV Rheinland Industrial Service are entrusted with performing a large field of the official surveillance. Details of the surveillance system as well as examples and experience with a huge number of suppliers will be presented.