Quality Assurance in Spent Fuel Transports

Abstract

The IAEA Regulations, Safety Series No. 6 (1985), specify that transporters shall establish a quality assurance programme.

NTL has been transporting spent fuel from European light water reactors to storage and reprocessing facilities since 1972. NTL’s formal application of quality assurance to its transport activities began in 1983. Introduction began with the Group Quality Assurance Manual which stated the company policy, identified areas and extent of application, together with the provision of material support for the company quality assurance programme.

The quality assurance programme for spent fuel transports identifies all the necessary procedures required to comply with the company manual, as well as identifying responsibilities and determining levels of authority. The programme covers all those activities associated with package approvals, transport licences, flask handling, flask and vehicle maintenance, modification, and repair.

The paper discusses a quality assurance programme specifically applied to the business of transporting spent fuel.