Packaging and Transportation of the Dairyland LACBWR Reactor Vessel

The packaging and transportation of large, retired reactor components poses unique challenges from a technical as well as regulatory compliance standpoint. The current regulatory framework, domestically in Titles 49 and 10 and internationally in TS-R-1, does not lend itself to the transport of these large radioactively contaminated components, such as reactor vessels, steam generators, reactor pressure vessel heads, and pressurizers, without application for a special permit or arrangement. This paper addresses the methods of overcoming the technical and regulatory challenges associated with the packaging and transportation of the Dairyland LaCrosse Boiling Water Reactor’s (LACBWR) reactor pressure vessel (RPV). After the LACBWR reactor vessel was packaged and prepared for transportation, multiple domestic transport modes were utilized under a special package authorization from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 10 CFR 71.41, and special transport permit from the U.S. Department of Transportation, 49 CFR 107.105, to facilitate the disposal of the 312 ton package containing 9,790 curies.