AMEC Project 1.1: Development and Manufacture of a Prototype Transportable Interim Storage Container for Damaged and Undamaged Spent Nuclear Fuel

Abstract

The purpose of Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation (AMEC) Project 1.1 was to develop and manufacture a prototype 45 ton container for the interim storage of spent and damaged nuclear fuel removed from strategic submarines and icebreakers of the Russian Federation. These containers must be form, fit, and function identical to the TUK-18 and must be certified by Gostatomnadzor (GAN) for transportation and storage and by the Ministry of Railways for rail transportation of the spent and damaged nuclear fuel from strategic nuclear submarines and icebreakers. Over a 4 year period, a group of government scientists and engineers, with the support of technical experts designed, manufactured, and tested a prototype cask for the purposes of storing and transporting spent nuclear fuel. This team was composed of government and private sector employees from the Kingdom of Norway, the United States of American and the Russian Federation working under the authority of AMEC. A Certificate – Permission for Design, a License for Production, and aCertificate – Permission for Transportation were obtained. A License for Storage or a combined License for Transportation and Storage will need to be obtained before serially produced casks can be used for their intended purposes. With the testing and certification of the prototype TUK-108 cask (with the exception of certification for transportation and licensing) this project is considered complete. Serially produced TUK-108/1 casks (the serial production designation) have been demonstrated by the Ministry of Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation. These casks are currently being put into use for purposes outside the mission of AMEC. However, the Cooperative for Threat Reduction (CTR) under the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency is in the process of procuring TUK-108/1 casks for storing and transporting spent nuclear fuel from SSBN decommissioning activities in the Kola Peninsula region of the Russian Federation, which does support the mission of the AMEC Program.