German regulatory concept of transport package design approval for dual purpose casks during interim storage

Abstract

AbstractThe Federal Office for Radiation Protection [Bundesamt fur Strahlenschutz (BfS)] is the competent authority for package design approval for transport as well as the competent authority for licensing of interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel and vitrified high level radioactive waste in Germany. The concept of interim storage in Germany is based on dry transport and storage casks (dual purpose casks), which are placed in storage facilities. For such a cask, a package design approval according to applicable national transport regulations consistent with International Atomic Energy Agency Transport Regulations is necessary to transport the cask to the interim storage facility, to be able to ship the cask if necessary during the interim storage period and finally to transport it to the final destination when the interim storage period is finished. Such a package design approval is also a key element for the safety demonstration of the interim storage facility. To take all these aspects into...