Transportation System Benefits of Early Deployment of a 75-Ton Multipurpose Canister System·

In 1993 the United States Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System (CRWMS) began developing two multipurpose canister (MPC) systems to provide a standardized method for interim storage and transportation of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at commercial nuclear power plants. One is a 75-ton concept with an estimated payload of about 6 metric tons (t) of SNF, and the other is a 125-ton concept with an estimated payload of nearly 11 t of SNF. These payloads are two to three times the payloads of the largest currently certified U.S. rail transport casks, the IF-300. Although it is recognized that a fully developed 125-ton MPC system is likely to provide a greater cost benefit and radiation exposure benefit than the lower-capacity 75-ton MPC, this paper suggests that development and deployment of the 75-ton MPC prior to developing and deploying a 125-ton MPC is a desirable strategy. Reasons that support this include: