The Radioactive Materials Packaging Handbook: an overview

Abstract

Abstract The Radioactive Materials Packaging Handbook provides information on the design, operation, and maintenance of shipping packages. The 500-page document was published in June 1998 and will serve as a replacement for the Cask Designers Guide. The Handbook, written by experts in their particular fields, is a compilation of technical chapters that address the design aspects of a package intended for transporting radioactive material in normal commerce; it was prepared under the direction of M. E. Wangler of the US Department of Energy (DOE) and provides a wealth of technical guidance that gives designers a better understanding of the regulatory approval process, preferences of regulators on specific aspects of package design, and the types of analyses to be considered when designing a package to carry radioactive materials. Even though the Handbook is concerned with both small and large packagings, most of the emphasis is placed on large packagings that are capable of transporting fissile, radioactiv...