THE QUALITY ASSURANCE TOPICAL REPORT - INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION FOR MANUFACTURING OF NUCLEAR PACKAGES

The paper addresses the manufacturing quality assurance (QA) concerns associated with fabrication of radioactive material packaging in one country for use in another. A case study is discussed which shows a method of implementation that has been successfully practised for casks fabricated in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) for use in the USA. The casks utilized are the Castor series, which are fabricated in the FRG from ductile cast iron. This material has several specialized fabrication and inspection requirements. Although international efforts, especially through the IAEA, have helped to standardize QA measures, detailed implementation can vary from country to country. A means of co-ordinating requirements between countries was required. The vehicle used to accomplish this was the Quality Assurance Topical Report (QATR), which is an administrative QA document that clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of all affected organizations. Research was performed to evaluate and compare the general QA requirements for both countries. The close correlation of requirements is documented in the QATR. In addition, a programme is described which permits the USA competent authority to depend on the FRG authority for inspection and enforcement procedures. Once a design has been approved, it is of great importance that the fabrication and inspection of any...