The Packaging Handbook-A Guide to Package Design

The Packaging Handbook is a compilation of 14 technical chapters and five appendices that address the life cycle of a packaging which is intended to transport radioactive material by any transport mode in normal commerce. Although many topics are discussed in depth, this document focuses on the design aspects of a packaging. The Handbook, which is being prepared under the direction of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (EH-32), is intended to provide a wealth of technical guidance that will give designers a better understanding of the regulatory approval process, preferences of regulators on specific aspects of packaging design, and the types of analyses that should be seriously considered when developing the packaging design. Even though the Handbook is concerned with all packagings, most of the emphasis is placed on large packagings that are capable of transporting large radioactive sources that are also fissile (e.g., spent fuel). These are the types of packagings that must address the widest range of technical topics in order to meet domestic and international regulations. The chapters are written by experts in their particular field, all of whom have considerable experience in one or more technical areas of package design, preparing a Safety Analysis Report on a Package (SARP) and certifying the design. Within their chapters, these experts provide much information and data taken from specific Safety Analysis Reports for Packaging (SARPs) prepared by the chapter authors and provide insights based on their interaction with regulators in the certification process. Included in the Handbook are technical chapters that address structural design, shielding, heat transfer, criticality, containment, and materials of construction. Many of the technical chapters also discuss the types of computer codes that have become useful for analyzing package behavior in their particular area.