Transport of nuclear fuel

The transport of the Fuel nuclear corresponds to the transfer operations of radioactive materials between the various installations of nuclear industry, that is to say schematically:

of the Mine of uranium to the factory of Uranium enrichment,
of the factory of enrichment to the Nuclear plant,
of the nuclear plant in the center of storage of the Nuclear waste

Regulation related to transport

The regulation applicable to the transport of radioactive materials is defined in the international level, contrary to the regulation of the safety of nuclear installations which is defined at the national level. For the safety of transport, basic rules were worked out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In France, these rules are taken again by the nuclear Autorité of safety (ASN) which is the qualified organization for the transport of the radioactive materials. The regulation differs according to the means of transport used: terrestrial (railroad, road or way of inland navigation), maritime or air.

Transport is protected in priority by the robustness of packing, but also by the reliability of the convoys, special equipment on the vehicles, and finally by the effectiveness of the intervention in the event of accident.

Packing of transport answers severe Norme S of Radioprotection: mechanical resistance to a fall a 9 meters height, fires up to 800 °C and immersion with a 15 meters depth. Packing of transport of nuclear fuels is conceived to resist very severe aggressions.

The transport of the radioactive materials in France

In France, approximately: 300000 packages are transported every year of which two thirds do not relate to the Cycle of nuclear fuel: they are matters with medical use, pharmaceutical or industrial.

The nuclear fuel relates to approximately 840 transport per annum (300 for new fuel, 450 for irradiated fuel, 30 for the Combustible MOX and 60 for the plutonium oxide powder).

In 2005, on the whole of transport of radioactive materials (: 300000 parcels), the ASN count 48 incidents classified on level 0 (41 events) or on level 1 (7 events) of the INNATE scale . These incidents relate to primarily transport nonrelated to nuclear fuel, in particular of the sources with medical use.

In 2005, two transport related to the cycle of nuclear fuel was the opinion object of emission of the ASN for an incident classified on level 1 of the scale INNATE. These incidents did not have any impact on the personnel, the public or the environment.

In 2006, only one event having been the subject of an opinion of the ASN relates to a nuclear transport of fuel. It is about a déraillage partial at very low speed of a coach carrying a packing containing of irradiated fuel. The fuel parcel did not undergo any particular movement. The intervention of a team the SNCF under the control of a team of the ASN made it possible to cure the situation the shortly after the déraillage. During the breakdown service, the most exposed railwayman received an amount of radiation lower than 1% of the average amount received annually by each French .

Before 1999, the scale INNATE was not applied for transport of radioactive materials. The most outstanding events are:

August 1984/the North Sea: shipwreck of the MontLouis cargo liner transporting of the containers of Uranium hexafluoride close to the Belgian sides. All the containers were recovered. Defects of sealing were detected on some containers, involving dilution in the sea of a few kilograms of uranium hexafluoride without notable consequence on the public or the environment.
June 1987/Lailly-in-Valley: accident of a truck transporting a parcel containing of irradiated fuels. The trailer was off-set in the ditch; the parcel rocked and was enlisé partially in the very movable ground of the side. The parcel was recovered after about thirty hours. The fall does not have affected the sealing of the parcel and did not cause damage.
November 1991/Wearing of Cherbourg: rupture of a lifting gear and falls of a parcel containing of fuels irradiated on a quay ship. Only a surface damage was detected without radiological consequence.
March 1996/Port of Le Havre: unhooking of an uranium hexafluoride parcel suspended with a lifting gear, and still falls of the parcel on another parcel in the hold of the quay ship. The parcels underwent some deformations without consequence on the containment of the matter. Their routing could continue after expertise on the IRSN.
February 1997/Station of Apach (Franco-German border): derailment of a transporting convoy of three coaches of the fuel parcels irradiated coming from Germany. Only the way and the axles and plugs of a coach were damaged.
spring 1998/Valognes (Handle): many cases of contamination higher than the standards were highlighted on packing and coaches of transport of irradiated fuels coming from nuclear plants and intended for the reprocessing plant of La Hague. The amounts, due to the contamination for the workers and the population, remained lower than 1 mSv, even for very pessimistic scenarii of exposure. Nevertheless, of the more rigorous methods of decontamination and control were implemented in the nuclear plants, to avoid such goings beyond of the standards of contamination.

Opposition to transport of nuclear matters

Transport of nuclear fuel is highly criticized by associations Antinucléaire S.

In Germany, antinuclear organizations organized several demonstrations of opposition to the trains of Nuclear waste towards the site of hiding of Gorleben under the slogan “stop beavers” (beavers being containers transporting the nuclear waste).

Association Wise-Paris denounces the transport of American plutonium and the problems of safety and safety which it causes.

September 29th, 2003, Stephan Lhomme blocks a coach of nuclear waste in the middle of Bordeaux.

November 7th, 2004, Sebastien Briat - French antinuclear militant - died in Avricourt (the Moselle) at the time of an accident with a train, which transported nuclear waste.

November 14th, 2006, a train of waste is stopped during two hours close to Serqueux by Dieppois militants

External bond

Article of wikilivres on Sebastien Briat

References

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