Quality Assurance for Radioactive Material Packaging

The U.S. DOE Packaging Certification Program (PCP), Office of Packaging and Transportation, sponsors a training course on quality assurance for radioactive material transportation packaging, which has been conducted annually by Argonne National Laboratory since the early 1990s. The course was significantly expanded in 2013, from three to five days, to include quality assurance for dry cask storage systems of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In 2015, the course became part of the curriculum of the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Packaging (GCNP) program at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). The purpose of the course is to help participants gain the working knowledge of the QA principles and methods for satisfying those regulatory requirements for packagings and casks used in the transportation and storage of radioactive material, including spent fuel and high-level waste. Title 10 of Code of Federal Regulations Parts 71 and 72 that govern packaging and transportation of radioactive material and dry cask storage systems for spent nuclear fuel are addressed, along with DOE Orders and NRC guidance documents, and ASME NQA-1 requirements on organization, quality assurance program, design control, inspection, test control, and corrective action, among others. The course emphasizes a graded approach that is used to establish QA requirements for packaging and cask components important to safety (ITS), software QA, and commercial-grade dedication. The course also addresses planned QA audits and inspections of ITS items and activities at fabrication shops and facilities, as well as the DOE Quality Assurance Approval Program (QAAP) for transportation packagings. The course emphasizes in-class discussions and hands-on exercises, including a mock-loading exercise using a drum-type transportation packaging. The QA course is a required course for the GCNP program, the educational objectives of which are to provide the necessary applied knowledge and skills that mechanical, materials, or nuclear engineers require to be successful as nuclear packaging designers, analysts, and users. Over 50 students have enrolled in the GCNP courses since 2015; the first GCNP Certificate was awarded in 2017. This paper will provide highlights of the QA course, including lessons learned based on feedback received from course participants and future directions.