DOE OSTI2018
In the U.S., very few cost-effective certified packages exist for shipping radioactive Type A quantities of liquids. Two activities where the lack of such a package was identified as creating a serious need were: 1) shipping Mo-99, both across the United States for medical purposes; as well as, 2) shipping high Cs-137 concentration High Level Waste (HLW) supernatant from the Savannah River Site and/or the Hanford Site potentially on public roads and highways for detailed laboratory characterization. For shipping Mo-99, the need for a package was amplified by its ubiquitous use in the radio-medical industry. Although Tc-99m is used in approximately 80% of the medical radioisotope procedures, it is almost universally shipped as Mo-99, with the Mo-99 then converted to Tc-99m near the point of use (e.g. at the doctor's office or hospital). This transport of Mo-66 with the subsequent conversion to Tc- 99m is because Mo-99 has a 66-hour half-life, while Tc-99m has only a 6-hour half-life. With the noted need for packaging to support Mo-99 shipments, a new cost-effective drum based packaging which could transport Type A quantities of liquids (including those with a high specific activity/gamma energy) for use on public highways and commercial aircraft was developed. Starting with the well analyzed design and analysis of a physically similar 'inner 30 gallons, outer 50 gallons' packaging (i.e. DOE 9979 package) certified for Type AF quantities of solids, this paper discusses the additional design, regulatory requirements, and tests associated in certifying the Heavily-shielded Type A Liquid-package (HVTAL). Based on analyses, the authorized content of the package was then expanded for additional Type A non-fissile liquids, including HLW supernatant. (authors)
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗