ISO/TC 85/SC 5/WG 4 - Transportation of radioactive material

This document provides the following: — specifications for cylinders for the transport of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) to provide compatibility among different users, — description of cylinder designs, but is not intended to develop new designs, — fabrication requirements for the procurement of new cylinders designed for the transport of 0,1 kg or more of uranium hexafluoride, — fabrication requirements for the procurement of new valve protections, valves and plugs, and — requirements for cylinders and valve protections in service.

This document covers trunnion systems used for tie-down, tilting and/or lifting of a package of radioactive material during transport operations. Aspects included are the design, manufacture, maintenance, inspection and management system. Regulations which can apply during handling operation in nuclear facilities are not addressed in document. This document does not supersede any of the requirements of international or national regulations, concerning trunnions used for lifting and tie-down.

This document specifies gas leakage test criteria and test methods for demonstrating that packages used to transport radioactive materials comply with the package containment requirements defined in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material for: — design verification; — fabrication verification; — preshipment verification; — periodic verification; — maintenance verification. This document describes a method for relating permissible activity release of the radioactive contents carried within a containment system to equivalent gas leakage rates under specified test conditions. This approach is called gas leakage test methodology. However, in this document it is recognized that other methodologies might be acceptable, provided that they demonstrate that any release of the radioactive contents will not exceed the regulatory requirements, and subject to agreement with the competent authority. This document provides both overall and detailed guidance on the complex relationships between an equivalent gas leakage test and a permissible activity release rate. Whereas the overall guidance is universally agreed upon, the use of the detailed guidance shall be agreed upon with the competent authority during the Type B(U), Type B(M) or Type C packages certification process. It should be noted that, for a given package, demonstration of compliance is not limited to a single methodology. While this document does not require particular gas leakage test procedures, it does present minimum requirements for any test that is to be used. It is the responsibility of the package designer or consignor to estimate or determine the maximum permissible release rate of radioactivity to the environment and to select appropriate leakage test procedures that have adequate sensitivity. This document pertains specifically to Type B(U), Type B(M) or Type C packages for which the regulatory containment requirements are specified explicitly.

ISO 7195:2005 specifies requirements for packaging of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) for transport. It applies to packages designed to contain uranium hexafluoride in quantities of 0,1 kg or more; design, manufacture, inspection and testing of new cylinders and protective packagings; maintenance, repair, inspection and testing of cylinders and protective packagings; and in-service inspection and testing requirements for cylinders and protective packagings.

Specifies requirements concerning the design, manufacture and testing of transport cylinders and packaging, the in-service testing and shipping requirements. Annex A includes principles for the safe handling of UF6, annex B gives typical examples of sampling and transport cylinders, valves and packaging, annex C describes properties of UF6, its reaction products and associated hazards.