IAEA/USA Interregional course on
Preparations to Ship Spent Nuclear Fuel (1997)
Preparing for Shipments
of Spent Nuclear Fuel
to the Savannah River Site
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Contact:
Mr. William D. Clark
Spent Nuclear Fuel Program Manager
U. S. Department of Energy
Savannah River Operations Office
P. O. Box A
Aiken, South Carolina 29802 USA
Tel.: +1-803-557-3759
Fax: +1-803-557-3996
email: [email protected]
IAEA/USA Interregional Training Course
Technical and Administrative Preparations Required for Shipment of Research Reactor Spent
Fuel to its Country of Origin
13-24 January 1997
Argonne, IL
Preparing for Shipments
of Spent Nuclear Fuel
to the Savannah River Site
William D. Clark, Manager
Spent Nuclear Fuel Program
U. S. Department of Energy
Savannah River Operations Office
Contents of Presentation
- Initial Contact with the Facility
- Submittal of Technical Data
- Contract Negotiations
- Transportation Services
- Scheduling & Completion of Shipment
- Points of Contact
Initial Contact with the Facility
- The Savannah River Site is preparing a questionnaire
to collect data on inventories of spent nuclear fuel,
fuel condition, cask handling capabilities, and
shipment timing preferences.
- Responses are requested by the end of February 1997.
- Based on those responses, the U.S. Department of Energy
will schedule a visit to the facility nine months to a year
before the first shipment is planned.
- Appropriate governmental contacts will be made prior to
any visits.
Submittal of Technical Data
- The Savannah River Site requires that technical data
on the spent nuclear fuel to be returned be submitted
for review prior to the start of a shipment.
- This information is requested in the form of an Appendix A
to the contract with the reactor operator.
- The Appendix A is required to be submitted approximately
six to nine months prior to the scheduled shipment.
- Technical personnel from the Savannah River Site will work
with the reactor operator to resolve any issues prior to the
Appendix A being finalized.
- The primary information requested includes the pre-
irradiation fuel characteristics, the irradiation history of
the fuel, and fabrication drawings of the fuel.
- Additional requirements that must be met prior to shipment
such as water samples and radiological surveys of shipping
casks are detailed in the Appendix B to the contract.
Contract Negotiations
- The U.S. Department of Energy - Savannah River Operations
Office will prepare a draft contract for review by the reactor
operator approximately one year before the first scheduled
shipment.
- Once comments are returned and resolved, the final contract
will be prepared and sent by express mail for signature.
- The contract is valid for the life of the program (e.g., 13 years).
- Negotiations can take place with the reactor operator, a
government agency, or with a representative in the United
States.
Major Components of the Contract
- Definitions
- Customer's Requirements
- Operational Aspects of the Shipments
- Prior to Departure
- In route
- Further Assurances
- Transport Packages
- Payments & Fees (if any)
- Excused Non-Performance
- Contract Terms
- Generic Contract Clauses
Transportation Services
- The U. S. Department of Energy will provide a transportation
services contractor for each shipment from an other than high
income country as described in the EIS.
- This contractor will provide support for all aspects of making
a shipment including onsite technical support, cask rental
services, loading operations support, export/import permits,
security planning, scheduling, and coordination with other
casks included in a shipment.
- The U. S. Department of Energy will reimburse the contractor
for costs incurred to make the shipment.
- DOE will prepare a task order for the contractor to perform
all services required to return the spent nuclear fuel from
a foreign country to the United States.
- The contractor will interface directly with the reactor operator
to provide required services, equipment, and technical
expertise.
- Initial contact between the transportation services contractor
and the reactor operator will occur approximately 6 months
prior to the scheduled shipment.
- If canning of failed fuel or other unique requirements are
involved, initial contact may be made earlier.
Scheduling & Completion of Shipments
- Once the technical data (Appendix A) has been approved, a
official shipping date will be set.
- Shipments are grouped by regions and occur every 2-3 months.
- Oversight of loading operations by the U.S. Department of
Energy or its designated representative is required.
- Casks, upon receipt at the Savannah River Site, will be
unloaded in a pre-determined order at a rate of approximately
four per month.
Requests for Special
Shipping Arrangements
- Requests for special shipping arrangement can be made.
- These may include:
- The use of specific casks
- The use of multiple casks
- Shipments at specific times of the year
- Urgent or accelerated shipments (must be justified)
Points of Contact
Shipment Planning & Scheduling, Technical Data, Contracts,
Transportation Services
- William D. Clark
Spent Nuclear Fuel Program Manager
U. S. Department of Energy
Savannah River Operations Office
P. O. Box A
Aiken, South Carolina 29802 USA
Tel.: 803-557-3759
Fax: 803-557-3996
email: [email protected] - Charles E. Messick
Foreign Fuel Shipment Coordinator
Same mailing address
Tel.: 803-557-3237
Fax: 803-557-376
email: [email protected]