Transport of Radioactive Material

TRAINING FOR RADIATION SAFETY OFFICERS

Aim

To provide a broad outline of the

framework within which radioactive materials must be transported

RADIOACTIVE

Dangerous Goods Classification

Class Description 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Explosives Gases Flammable liquids Flammable solids Oxidising substances Toxic & infectious substances Radioactive materials Corrosive substances Miscellaneous

When is transport required?

Source change or repair Return of a source to manufacturer

or disposal agent Movement to another company Transfer of samples (leak tests, etc) Contaminated objects Supply of radioactive material Mobile sources.

IAEA Regulations

Regulations for the Safe Transport of

Radioactive Material Safety Requirements No. TS-R-1

Regularly updated, latest edition 2005

Adopted worldwide for all modes of
transport national legislation based on IAEA Regulations

Modes of Transport

 The International Maritime Dangerous Goods

International Legislation

Code Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air Council Regulation 1493/93/Euratom transfrontier shipment of RAM Council Directive 92/3/Euratom - the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste between Member States ADR / RID European Agreement Concerning the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road / Rail

Transport regulations define:

Consignor

Carrier

Consignee

Responsibilities

Consignor

Packing Marking and

Carrier

labelling Documentatio n Information Placarding QA RPP

Safety in

Carriage (radiation & fire/acciden t) QA RPP

- Consignee - RPP - Restriction of exposure following receipt of package

Arranging a consignment
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Packaging Marking and Labelling Documentation Vehicle requirements (road) Training

Package Types

Excepted
Type A Type B

Type C
Industrial

 for the transport of limited

- individual items

Excepted packages

activity/limited hazard materials activity limits

limits are fractions of the limits

for Type A packages surface dose rate must be < 5 Sv/h

- total consignment

Excepted Packages

Stout cardboard box often

sufficient Pack item well to prevent movement and absorb liquid Radiation warning inside package

Industrial Packages
For the transport of items presenting a contamination hazard: Surface Contaminated Objects:
- SCO-I, SCO-II, Low Specific Activity material: - LSA-I, LSA-II, LSA-III

Three types of package: IP-I, IP-II, IP-III

Industrial Packages

Industrial Packages: IP-I IP-II

- basic requirements - IP-I plus stacking and drop

tests IP-III - equivalent to Type-A package

Industrial Packages
Tanks and freight containers may be used as Industrial Packages II or III

provided
Loss of radioactive material or loss of shielding would not occur during normal conditions of transport

Industrial package limits

Activity limits for industrial packages depend on: exclusive use LSA/SCO category physical state (solid/liquid/gas)

Type A Package

More robust than excepted package Smallest dimension at least 10 cm Must satisfy specified tests
compliance Transport of: - Unsealed sources for medicine / research - Nuclear Density Gauges - Other portable gauges
- consignor to demonstrate

Type A Packages
Activity limits: Special form material: A1 Non special form material: A2 Radionuclide specific

Special Form vs. Other Form

Special Form Radioactive Materials

are sealed radioactive sources for which a Special Form Certificate is held All other Radioactive Materials are Other Form

Type A Packages

Type B Package

For the transport of large industrial

sources / nuclear material all type A requirements further specified tests certificate issued by competent authority activity limited by certificate

Approval of Shipments

For a type B container which:

- relies on intermittent venting; - is not designed to withstand -40 to 70

degrees; - contains >3000 A1 or A2, or 1000 TBq; or

- contains fissile material with TI >50

shipment requires multilateral approval Certificate issued by all relevant CAs Must demonstrate compliance with conditions of Type B certificate

Type C

For transport of high activity

sources by air specific tests under low pressure conditions Competent Authority tested

Packaging of fissile material

Additional requirements: competent authority approval maintain subcriticality throughout journey consider:
water seepage loss of efficiency of moderators re-arrangement within the package reduced spacing between packages temperature changes

Contamination Control

Packages and vehicles should be

checked for contamination if this is likely to arise Contamination must be below specified limits Frequency of monitoring depends on likelihood of contamination

Transport Index (TI)

Dose rate (Sv/hour) at 1 metre from the surface divided by 10 Used to assess the relative hazard of type A and B packages

Vehicle Limits

Limits on Transport Index: Dose rate limits

- 50 TI limit for normal transport - no limit if under exclusive use - 2 mSv/hour at surface - 100 Sv/hour at 2 metres - 50 for normal transport

Criticality Safety Index Limits

- 100 if under exclusive use

Exclusive Use
The consignor or consignee has direction throughout the movement: - initial loading - transport / storage in transit - final unloading

Marking and Labelling

External marking

Excepted packages

Type A packages, as above plus:

Type A UN number plus Proper Shipping
Name Appropriate label

Details of consignor or consignee UN number of content Weight if > 50 kg

External marking Industrial Packages -as excepted package plus:

IP-I, IP-II or IP-III as appropriate Appropriate labels

External marking
Type B package - as excepted package plus fire proof trefoil symbol id for package design package design serial number appropriate labels Type B(U) or Type B(M) Type C Package - as Type B

Category I - white

< 5 Sv/hour at surface of package

Category II - yellow

> 5 - 500 Sv/h at surface 10 Sv/h at 1 m

TI between 0 and 1.0

Category III - yellow

> 500 - 2000 Sv/h at surface > 10 - 100 Sv/h at 1 m

TI between 1.0 and 10

Transport Document

Provided by consignor Travels with the package Contains specified information Required for all package types Signed declaration Copy retained by consignor for 2 years Regular consignment certificates - incidences
where same package and contents are transported on a regular basis by the same consignor

Documentation

Transport document

Emergency provisions

Radiation Protection Programme

A radiation protection programme

must be established to restrict radiation exposures during transport & in the event of an accident

Quality & Compliance Assurance

A Quality Assurance Programme

should demonstrate that the design, manufacture, testing, documentation, carriage, use, maintenance and inspection:
- of all special form material,

- of all low dispersible radioactive

material, - of all packages and packaging, and - for transport and in-transit operations, meet the requirements of the regulations

Vehicle Placards & Plates

Radioactive

Placard

RADIOACTIVE

Orange Plates

Not required for Excepted Packages Front & back Min 300 x 120 mm

Vehicle Placards & Plates

Carried in Vehicle

Transport documents Statement for carrier

& stowage - Emergency provisions Fire extinguishers may be required by national legislation

- Instructions for loading/unloading

Driver Training

All individuals involved in any aspect

of the transport operation should receive training in radiation protection and the IAEA regulations, commensurate with their responsibilities Level of training often varies with type and number of packages being carried

Summary

Legal requirements for RAM

transport - Types of transport package - Marking and Labelling - Documentation - Vehicle requirements (road) - Driver training
RADIOACTIVE

Thank You for your attention