defense nuclear nonproliferation office of material management · pdf file ·...

Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

ENERGY

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U.S.-Origin Nuclear Material Removal Program Canadian Campaigns

Jeff Galan, Program Manager

National Nuclear Security Administration

Office of Material Management and Minimization (M3)


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ENERGY

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Nuclear Material Removal Programs U.S.-Origin Nuclear Material Removal Program : Remove or dispose of U.S.-origin HEU and LEU from TRIGA and MTR research reactors worldwide.

Russian-Origin Nuclear Remove Program: Remove or dispose of Russian-origin nuclear material from research reactors worldwide.

GAP Removal: Remove or dispose of vulnerable high risk nuclear materials that are not covered under the Russian-origin and U.S.-origin nuclear material removal programs.

Gap Shipment from Chile U.S. Origin Shipment from South Africa


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ENERGY

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U.S.-Origin Nuclear Material Removal Objective

Goal: Remove or dispose of excess WMD-usable U.S.-origin nuclear materials located at civilian sites worldwide: •  Reduce and, to the extent possible, eliminate the use of HEU from

civilian nuclear applications

•  Disposition LEU spent fuel as an incentive for foreign reactor operators to convert from HEU to LEU fuel

•  Allow time for countries with spent fuel (both HEU and LEU) containing uranium enriched in the United States to resolve their own disposition

These efforts result in permanent threat reduction because each kilogram of this dangerous material that is secured and disposed of removes it from possible diversion for malevolent purposes.


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•  66 shipments completed •  54 via Ocean to East Coast

•  10 truck shipments from Canada

•  9,708 spent fuel assemblies, from 33 countries

•  10 cross-country shipments completed including one west coast origin shipment

•  286 casks safely and successfully

moved by vessel, truck and rail

U.S.-Origin SNF Removal Shipments


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ENERGY

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HEU Minimization

In support of our Nuclear Security Summit commitments, M3 is coordinating with many countries, including Canada, to reduce HEU inventories by returning material to the United States.

Canadian Nuclear Research Reactors •  Most Canadian research reactors have

converted to use LEU fuel. •  These reactors continue to support

international nuclear research. •  The NRU Research Reactor supplies a

large portion of medical isotopes to U.S. consumers


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ENERGY

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Canadian Shipments

•  Receiving site for Canadian material is the Savannah River Site located in Aiken, South Carolina.

•  Dedicated trucks with no other cargo.

Security provided by each state’s Police/Highway Patrol.

•  Since the Foreign Research Reactor

Return Program began in 1996, there have been 6 shipments from Canada.

•  The NRU/NRX fuel shipment campaign from Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario has begun. Next major campaign will be for Mo-99 HEU Target Residue Material.

NAC-LWT in Transport ISO

SLOWPOKE core


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ENERGY

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Canadian Campaigns NRU/NRX

•  NRX was a research reactor that began operation in 1947 and was shut down in 1993.

•  NRU is a research reactor that began

operation in 1957 and continues to run today. It was the first reactor able to commercially produce medical isotopes.

•  NRU/NRX fuel shipments have begun and

after a winter break, are expected to resume once every two to three weeks for approximately 4 years.

•  The Removal Program is expecting to ship Mo-99 HEU Target Residue Material beginning in 2016. This will likely result in 2 shipments a week for approximately a year and a half. NRU Reactor at Chalk River


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ENERGY

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Canadian Mo-99 Production •  Mo-99 Production Background

–  Canada produces Mo-99 at Chalk River Laboratories and currently supplies approximately 60% of the U.S. demand for Mo-99, though at times it has supplied 100% of our needs. Mo-99 is used to create Tc-99m.

•  Medical usage –  Tc-99m is used in approximately 80 percent of all nuclear medicine diagnostic

procedures, and in roughly 50,000 diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine procedures performed daily in the United States, including diagnosis of heart disease, treating cancer, and studying organ structure and function.

–  Canada also produces other medical isotopes for the U.S. such as Iodine-131 and Xenon-133.

q NRU Mo-99 production target


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

ENERGY

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Shipment Coordination

•  Two approved NRC routes from the Canadian/U.S. border to South Carolina (traversing NY, PA, MD, WV, VA, NC, SC).

•  M3 has been working with the Council of State Governments - Eastern Regional Conference and the Southern States Energy Board. We have used DOE’s National Transportation Stakeholders Forum to meet with our Tribal and State partners and share information about these campaigns.

•  The Remove Program has been providing free Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program (TEPP) training along the two highway routes for several years.

•  The Remove Program could not perform its function without the close communication and cooperation with our Tribal and State partners and their coordinating representatives.


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ENERGY

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Robust Shipping Containers

•  In what type of container are these types of materials transported?

•  To what standards are they built and how are they evaluated?


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ENERGY

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Robust Shipping Containers

All casks will conform to U.S., IAEA & Canadian standards.

•  Upon verification that the nuclear materials could be transported while meeting all regulations and requirements, the cask vendor submitted two requests to the NRC for a license amendment.

•  There were separate submissions for the NRU/NRX spent nuclear fuel and the liquid Target Residue Material.

•  The NRC verified the cask design meets all U.S. regulations for transporting each type of material and issued a Certificate of Compliance (CoC).

•  A U.S. Competent Authority Certificate (CAC) was issued by the U.S. DOT to allow international use.

•  The Canadian Competent Authority, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), performed its own review of the cask and the inserts and issued a Canadian CAC.


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Transport Package Regulatory Tests

•  Tests performed in sequence –  30 foot drop onto flat unyielding surface –  40 inch free drop onto 6 inch diameter steel rod at

least 8 inches long at weakest point –  Totally engulfed in fire 1475 degrees for 30

minutes –  Completely submerged 3 ft. of water for 8 hours

•  Extensive “extra-regulatory” tests have also been performed on many different cask designs.


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ENERGY

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NAC-LWT


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ENERGY

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NAC-LWT

NAC-LWT cask on shipping cradle

NAC-LWT cask with impact limiters


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ENERGY

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NAC-LWT Inserts

NAC-LWT cask with NRU/NRX fuel basket

NAC-LWT cask with liquid Target Residue Material canisters


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ENERGY

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NAC-LWT


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ENERGY

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Demonstration Shipment


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ENERGY

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NRC Safeguards Information Requirements

•  Safeguards Information not to be released except with “need to know”: –  Time and Schedule Information –  Specific details about shipment –  Security Measures (number of

escorts, armament, disposition, communication systems, tracking systems)


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

ENERGY

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Conclusion

We thank our partners for continued outstanding and

successful collaboration.

Sarah Dickerson, Director Office of Nuclear Material Removal

[email protected] (202) 586-0686

Jeff Galan, Program Manager

U.S.- Origin Nuclear Material Removal [email protected]

(803) 952-7639

defense nuclear nonproliferation office of material management · pdf file ·...

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