RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND FISSILE EXCEPTIONS

The paper presents the use of exception for fissile material in the field of radioactive waste shipments. It gives an historical view of the changes introduced in the regulations for fissile exception, and gives an overview of the safety and operational issues generated by the current exceptions. Examples from the industry are developed to illustrate: • the need for shipment of radioactive wastes containing fissile material; • the quantities of wastes concerned by fissile material; • the importance the criteria for definition of fissile-excepted material, and their durability in time, may have on the design and global cost of a complete process for radioactive waste conditioning, shipment and storage. The work done, with the full participation of WNTI, to completely review the exception criteria and requirements for fissile-excepted material to increase together safety and fitness for the needs of industry, is described. The new criteria and requirements for fissile exceptions as proposed to be introduced in the forthcoming new edition of IAEA regulations for the transport of radioactive material are presented in this paper, and illustrated by examples of waste shipments. Gain in safety margins as well as in transport capacities as a result of these new exceptions for fissile material are illustrated by some examples from the industry. The difficulties which can arise from the implementation of some of these new criteria are listed and discussed.