Overview of JNC Pu Air Transport Packaging Development

The Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC), the former or ganization of the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC), transported a shipment of plutonium by sea from France to Japan for use in the experimental Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) \"Joyo.\" This shipment was made over a period of time from October to November 1984. Since then, research and development has been carried out to provide the option of transporting future shipments of plutonium by air for enhanced physical protection. PNC began Plutonium Air Transport (PAT) package development in 1984 based on a joint research agreement with Battelle Columbus Laboratories until 1988. Since 1988, the PAT development has continued under a joint research agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Package development was based on technology developed earlier at SNL. The objective was to develop a package that would conform to NUREG-0360 criteria (Ref. 1), which is the technical standard for air transport of plutonium in the US as developed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). That work resulted in packaging prototypes that were developed and tested that did not release any of their contents following high speed impact, puncture, slash, and one-hour fire tests stipulated by NUREG-0360. These tests, conducted at SNL, demonstrated that the innermost containment vessels of these packages remained leaktight. The original agreement for cooperation between Japan and the US concerning peaceful uses of nuclear energy required the transport of plutonium only by air, but it was later amended to allow transport by sea under certain conditions. The appropriate package has not been developed at that moment. Based on this, a shipment of plutonium was made by sea from Europe to Japan by the \"Akatsuki-Maru\" in 1992. PAT package development has been continued, however, in order to provide an option for future shipments. Concerns in the US Congress about the safety of plutonium shipments through US air space that originate in a foreign nation and are destined for a foreign nation resulted in legislation that required an actual crash test of a cargo aircraft loaded with full-scale packages carrying test material or the execution of an acceptable alternate test. The bill was re ferred to as the Murkowski Amendment because of the legislation's author, Senator Frank Murkowski of Alaska (Ref. 2). The bill was signed into force as Public Law 100-203 on December 22, 1987. Because this new The Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC), the former or ganization of the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC), transported a shipment of plutonium by sea from France to Japan for use in the experimental Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) \"Joyo.\" This shipment was made over a period of time from October to November 1984. Since then, research and development has been carried out to provide the option of transporting future shipments of plutonium by air for enhanced physical protection. PNC began Plutonium Air Transport (PAT) package development in 1984 based on a joint research agreement with Battelle Columbus Laboratories until 1988. Since 1988, the PAT development has continued under a joint research agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Package development was based on technology developed earlier at SNL. The objective was to develop a package that would conform to NUREG-0360 criteria (Ref. 1), which is the technical standard for air transport of plutonium in the US as developed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). That work resulted in packaging prototypes that were developed and tested that did not release any of their contents following high speed impact, puncture, slash, and one-hour fire tests stipulated by NUREG-0360. These tests, conducted at SNL, demonstrated that the innermost containment vessels of these packages remained leaktight. The original agreement for cooperation between Japan and the US concerning peaceful uses of nuclear energy required the transport of plutonium only by air, but it was later amended to allow transport by sea under certain conditions. The appropriate package has not been developed at that moment. Based on this, a shipment of plutonium was made by sea from Europe to Japan by the \"Akatsuki-Maru\" in 1992. PAT package development has been continued, however, in order to provide an option for future shipments. Concerns in the US Congress about the safety of plutonium shipments through US air space that originate in a foreign nation and are destined for a foreign nation resulted in legislation that required an actual crash test of a cargo aircraft loaded with full-scale packages carrying test material or the execution of an acceptable alternate test. The bill was re ferred to as the Murkowski Amendment because of the legislation's author, Senator Frank Murkowski of Alaska (Ref. 2). The bill was signed into force as Public Law 100-203 on December 22, 1987. Because this new