Technical Problems Encountered During Certification of a Type B (Plutonium) Package (U)

Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) is the packaging designer for the 5320 Type (B) PuO/AmO Packaging (DPSU79-124-1, \"Safety Analysis Report -Packages\"). The predecessor to the 5320 Packaging, introduced in 1980, was initially developed in 1973 for shipping plutonium and americium. Since 1980 the 5320 Packaging has undergone numerous design changes to meet changing packaging and transportation regulations. During the current certificate renewal process, WSRC experienced significant technical problems with the packaging design. This paper will discuss the technical problems associated with the design, the technical challenges they presented and the design solutions that were implemented to meet current Department of Energy (DOE) regulations.