DOCSLIB.ORG

Safe Transport of Radioactive Material

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Safe Transport of Radioactive Material Safe Transport of Radioactive Material Fourth Edition VIENNA, 2006 TRAINING COURSE SERIES VIENNA 2002 1 IAEA SAFETY RELATED PUBLICATIONS IAEA SAFETY STANDARDS Under the terms of Article III of its Statute, the IAEA is authorized to establish or adopt standards of safety for protection of health and minimization of danger to life and property, and to provide for the application of these standards. The publications by means of which the IAEA establishes standards are issued in the IAEA Safety Standards Series. This series covers nuclear safety, radiation safety, transport safety and waste safety, and also general safety (i.e. all these areas of safety). The publication categories in the series are Safety Fundamentals, Safety Requirements and Safety Guides. Safety standards are coded according to their coverage: nuclear safety (NS), radiation safety (RS), transport safety (TS), waste safety (WS) and general safety (GS). Information on the IAEA’s safety standards programme is available at the IAEA Internet site http://www-ns.iaea.org/standards/ The site provides the texts in English of published and draft safety standards. The texts of safety standards issued in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish, the IAEA Safety Glossary and a status report for safety standards under development are also available. For further information, please contact the IAEA at P.O. Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria. All users of IAEA safety standards are invited to inform the IAEA of experience in their use (e.g. as a basis for national regulations, for safety reviews and for training courses) for the purpose of ensuring that they continue to meet users’ needs. Information may be provided via the IAEA Internet site or by post, as above, or by e-mail to [email protected]. OTHER SAFETY RELATED PUBLICATIONS The IAEA provides for the application of the standards and, under the terms of Articles III and VIII.C of its Statute, makes available and fosters the exchange of information relating to peaceful nuclear activities and serves as an intermediary among its Member States for this purpose. Reports on safety and protection in nuclear activities are issued in other publications series, in particular the Safety Reports Series. Safety Reports provide practical examples and detailed methods that can be used in support of the safety standards. Other IAEA series of safety related publications are the Provision for the Application of Safety Standards Series, the Radiological Assessment Reports Series and the International Nuclear Safety Group’s INSAG Series. The IAEA also issues reports on radiological accidents and other special publications. Safety related publications are also issued in the Technical Reports Series, the IAEA-TECDOC Series, the Training Course Series and the IAEA Services Series, and as Practical Radiation Safety Manuals and Practical Radiation Technical Manuals. Security related publications are issued in the IAEA Nuclear Security Series. TRAINING COURSE SERIES No. 1 Safe Transport of Radioactive Material Fourth Edition INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, VIENNA, 2006 The originating Section of this publication in the IAEA was: Radiation Safety Section International Atomic Energy Agency Wagramer Strasse 5 P.O. Box 100 A-1400 Vienna, Austria SAFE TRANSPORT OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL IAEA, VIENNA, 2006 IAEA-TCS-01/04 ISSN 1018–5518 © IAEA, 2006 Printed by the IAEA in Austria August 2006 FOREWORD Since 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has exerted efforts towards developing and maintaining its Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material. The IAEA’s Transport Regulations are used worldwide as the basis for the safety requirements of relevant international organizations (including the United Nations Economic and Social Council, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Maritime Organization, UN Economic Commission for Europe, Universal Postal Union, and MERCOSUR/MERCOSUL) as well as the national transport regulations of many IAEA Member States. Indeed, Member States recognized at the IAEA General Conference in 1998 that “compliance with regulations which take account of the Agency’s Transport Regulations is providing a high level of safety during the transport of radioactive materials”. Meeting its statutory obligation to foster the exchange and training of scientists and experts in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy, the IAEA has developed a standardized approach to transport safety training as a means of helping Member States to implement the Transport Regulations. Under this approach, and compatible with a train-the-trainer concept, the IAEA provides training at the international level on the full requirements of its Transport Regulations to Member States’ competent authorities responsible for regulating the safe transport of radioactive material in their respective countries. In turn, those that have been trained by the IAEA are expected to disseminate their knowledge at a national level on applicable aspects of the Transport Regulations. This training manual is an anchor of the standardized approach to training: it contains all the topics presented in the sequential order recommended by the IAEA for the student to gain a thorough understanding of the body of knowledge that is needed to ensure that radioactive material — ranked as Class 7 in the United Nations’ nomenclature for dangerous goods — is transported safely. The explanations in the text refer, where needed, to the appropriate requirements in the IAEA’s Transport Regulations; additional useful information is also provided. Thus, this training manual — in addition to the Transport Regulations and their supporting documents — is used by the IAEA as the basis for delivering all of its training courses on the safe transport of radioactive material. Enclosed with the training manual is a CD-ROM that contains the text of the manual as well as the visual aids that are used at the IAEA’s training courses. The visual aids are presented in modules that are keyed to the chapters of the training manual. IAEA training courses are mainly intended for national competent authorities for radioactive material, and address the full requirements of the Transport Regulations. However, training is also needed at courses not usually organized by the IAEA: for regulatory staff needing only certain aspects of the Transport Regulations (e.g. non-nuclear fuel cycle requirements) or for non-regulatory personnel (e.g. consignors and carriers, emergency first responders and drivers); visual aids for such courses are also available on the CD-ROM. Training courses for Member States’ national purposes may be based on these other sets of visual aids, the contents of which need only be expanded to address applicable national requirements. This edition of the training manual is based on the IAEA’s Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (TS-R-1, 2005 Edition). It includes the updated training manual for the comprehensive training programme (duration 2 weeks), and two annexes –one relating to a new training manual for a short training programme for public authorities other than competent authorities (duration half day) and the other, a new training manual for a short training programme for cargo personnel including cargo handlers and vehicle crew (duration half day). This edition features exercises that have been included at the end of every chapter to help students gauge their own understanding of the topics addressed in each chapter. Prepared answers can be obtained by training course administrators from the IAEA on request. The Secretariat wishes to express its gratitude to all experts who have contributed to the preparation of this manual. Information about the IAEA’s transport safety training programme may be obtained from: M.E. Wangler, Head, Safety of Transport of Radioactive Material Unit, Div. of Radiation Transport and Waste Safety, IAEA, P.O. Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Tel.: (+43 1) 2600 Ext. 21262 Fax.: (+43 1) 26007 e-mail: [email protected] EDITORIAL NOTE The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries. The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Objectives ........................................................................................................... 2 1.2. Course overview................................................................................................. 3 1.3. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ............................................ 5 1.3.1. Statute.................................................................................................. 5 1.3.2. Mission and functions ......................................................................... 6 1.3.3. Roles and responsibilities.................................................................... 6 1.3.4. Services and information..................................................................... 9 1.4. Uses of radioactive material ............................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Table 2.Iii.1. Fissionable Isotopes1
    FISSIONABLE ISOTOPES Charles P. Blair Last revised: 2012 “While several isotopes are theoretically fissionable, RANNSAD defines fissionable isotopes as either uranium-233 or 235; plutonium 238, 239, 240, 241, or 242, or Americium-241. See, Ackerman, Asal, Bale, Blair and Rethemeyer, Anatomizing Radiological and Nuclear Non-State Adversaries: Identifying the Adversary, p. 99-101, footnote #10, TABLE 2.III.1. FISSIONABLE ISOTOPES1 Isotope Availability Possible Fission Bare Critical Weapon-types mass2 Uranium-233 MEDIUM: DOE reportedly stores Gun-type or implosion-type 15 kg more than one metric ton of U- 233.3 Uranium-235 HIGH: As of 2007, 1700 metric Gun-type or implosion-type 50 kg tons of HEU existed globally, in both civilian and military stocks.4 Plutonium- HIGH: A separated global stock of Implosion 10 kg 238 plutonium, both civilian and military, of over 500 tons.5 Implosion 10 kg Plutonium- Produced in military and civilian 239 reactor fuels. Typically, reactor Plutonium- grade plutonium (RGP) consists Implosion 40 kg 240 of roughly 60 percent plutonium- Plutonium- 239, 25 percent plutonium-240, Implosion 10-13 kg nine percent plutonium-241, five 241 percent plutonium-242 and one Plutonium- percent plutonium-2386 (these Implosion 89 -100 kg 242 percentages are influenced by how long the fuel is irradiated in the reactor).7 1 This table is drawn, in part, from Charles P. Blair, “Jihadists and Nuclear Weapons,” in Gary A. Ackerman and Jeremy Tamsett, ed., Jihadists and Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Growing Threat (New York: Taylor and Francis, 2009), pp. 196-197. See also, David Albright N 2 “Bare critical mass” refers to the absence of an initiator or a reflector.
    [Show full text]
  • Combating Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material Radioactive Other Traffickingand Illicit Nuclear Combating in 6 No
    8.8 mm IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 6 Technical Guidance Reference Manual IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 6 in Combating Nuclear Illicit and Trafficking other Radioactive Material Combating Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear and other Radioactive Material This publication is intended for individuals and organizations that may be called upon to deal with the detection of and response to criminal or unauthorized acts involving nuclear or other radioactive material. It will also be useful for legislators, law enforcement agencies, government officials, technical experts, lawyers, diplomats and users of nuclear technology. In addition, the manual emphasizes the international initiatives for improving the security of nuclear and other radioactive material, and considers a variety of elements that are recognized as being essential for dealing with incidents of criminal or unauthorized acts involving such material. Jointly sponsored by the EUROPOL WCO INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA ISBN 978–92–0–109807–8 ISSN 1816–9317 07-45231_P1309_CovI+IV.indd 1 2008-01-16 16:03:26 COMBATING ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN NUCLEAR AND OTHER RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL REFERENCE MANUAL The Agency’s Statute was approved on 23 October 1956 by the Conference on the Statute of the IAEA held at United Nations Headquarters, New York; it entered into force on 29 July 1957. The Headquarters of the Agency are situated in Vienna. Its principal objective is “to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world’’. IAEA NUCLEAR SECURITY SERIES No. 6 TECHNICAL GUIDANCE COMBATING ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN NUCLEAR AND OTHER RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL REFERENCE MANUAL JOINTLY SPONSORED BY THE EUROPEAN POLICE OFFICE, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INTERNATIONAL POLICE ORGANIZATION, AND WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA, 2007 COPYRIGHT NOTICE All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised in 1972 (Paris).
    [Show full text]
  • A Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty N I T E D Understanding the Critical Issues N A
    U N I D I R A F i s s i l e M a A mandate to negotiate a treaty banning the production of fissile material t e r i for nuclear weapons has been under discussion in the Conference of a l Disarmament (CD) in Geneva since 1994. On 29 May 2009 the Conference C u on Disarmament agreed a mandate to begin those negotiations. Shortly t - o afterwards, UNIDIR, with the support of the Government of Switzerland, f f T launched a project to support this process. r e a t This publication is a compilation of various products of the project, y : that hopefully will help to illuminate the critical issues that will need to U n be addressed in the negotiation of a treaty that stands to make a vital d e r contribution to the cause of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. s t a n d i n g t h e C r i t i c a l I s s u e s UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR DISARMAMENT RESEARCH U A Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty N I T E D Understanding the Critical Issues N A Designed and printed by the Publishing Service, United Nations, Geneva T I GE.10-00850 – April 2010 – 2,400 O N UNIDIR/2010/4 S UNIDIR/2010/4 A Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty Understanding the Critical Issues UNIDIR United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research Geneva, Switzerland New York and Geneva, 2010 Cover image courtesy of the Offi ce of Environmental Management, US Department of Energy.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Methodology for Determining Fissile Mass in Individual Accounting Items with the Use of Gamma-Ray Spectrometry*
    BNL-67176 A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING FISSILE MASS IN INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTING ITEMS WITH THE USE OF GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETRY* Walter R. Kane, Peter E. Vanier, Peter B. Zuhoski, and James R. Lemley Brookhaven National Laboratory Building 197C, P. O. Box 5000, Upton, NY 11973-5000 USA 631/344-3841 FAX 631/344-7533 Abstract In the safeguards, arms control, and nonproliferation regimes measurements are required which give the quantity of fissile material in an accounting item, e.g., a standard container of plutonium or uranium oxide. Because of the complexity of modeling the absorption of gamma rays in high-Z materials, gamma-ray spectrometry is not customarily used for this purpose. Gamma-ray measurements can be used to determine the fissile mass when two conditions are met: 1. The material is in a standard container, and 2. The material is finely divided, or a solid item with a reproducible shape. The methodology consists of: A. Measurement of the emitted gamma rays, and B. Measurement of the transmission through the item of the high-energy gamma rays of Co-60 and Th-228. We have demonstrated that items containing nuclear materials possess a characteristic "fingerprint" of gamma rays which depends not only on the nuclear properties, but also on the mass, density, shape, etc.. The material's spectrum confirms its integrity, homogeneity, and volume as well. While there is attenuation of radiation from the interior, the residual radiation confirms the homogeneity of the material throughout the volume. Transmission measurements, where the attenuation depends almost entirely on Compton scattering, determine the material mass.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Fissile Material Report 2006 a Table of Contents
    IPF M Global Fis sile Material Report Developing the technical basis for policy initiatives to secure and irreversibly reduce stocks of nuclear weapons and fissile materials 2006 Over the past six decades, our understanding of the nuclear danger has expanded from the threat posed by the vast nuclear arsenals created by the super- powers in the Cold War to encompass the prolifera- tion of nuclear weapons to additional states and now also to terrorist groups. To reduce this danger, it is essential to secure and to sharply reduce all stocks of highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium, the key materials in nuclear weapons, and to limit any further production. The mission of the IPFM is to advance the technical basis for cooperative international policy initiatives to achieve these goals. A report published by Global Fissile The International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM) www.fissilematerials.org Program on Science and Global Security Princeton University Material Report 2006 221 Nassau Street, 2nd Floor Princeton, NJ 08542, USA First report of the International Panel on Fissile Materials First report of the International Panel on Fissile Materials Developing the Technical Basis for Policy Initiatives to Secure and Irreversibly Reduce Stocks of Nuclear Weapons and Fissile Materials www.fissilematerials.org Global Fissile Material Report 2006 a Table of Contents About the IPFM 1 Summary 2 I. Background 5 1 Fissile Materials and Nuclear Weapons 6 2 Nuclear-Weapon and Fissile-Material Stocks 12 3 Production and Disposition of Fissile
    [Show full text]
  • 12Vac5-481 Virginia Radiation Protection Regulations
    12VAC5-481 VIRGINIA RADIATION PROTECTION REGULATIONS PART I GENERAL PROVISIONS Section 10 Definitions Section 20 Scope Section 30 Deliberate misconduct Section 40 Reserved Section 50 Reserved Section 60 Reserved Section 70 Reserved Section 80 Reserved Section 90 Exemptions from regulatory requirements Section 100 Records Section 110 Inspections and enforcement Section 120 [Reserved] Section 130 Impounding Section 140 Prohibited uses Section 150 Communications Section 160 Effective date Section 170 Removal of notices posted by agency prohibited Section 180 Tests Section 190 Additional regulatory requirements Section 200 [Repealed] Section 210 Types of hearings Section 220 Hearing as a matter of right Section 230 Appeal Section 240 Units of exposure and dose Section 250 Units of radioactivity PART II REGISTRATION OF RADIATION MACHINE FACILITIES AND SERVICES Section 260 Purpose and scope Section 270 Exemptions Section 280 Shielding plan review Section 290 Registration of radiation machine facilities Section 300 Issuance of registration certificate Section 310 Renewal of registration and approval not implied Section 320 Expiration of registration certificate Section 330 Report of changes Section 340 Private inspector qualifications Section 350 Assembler or transfer obligation Section 360 Reciprocal recognition of out-of-state radiation machines Section 370 Certification of X-ray systems PART III LICENSING OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL Section 380 Purpose and scope Section 390 Source material Section 400 Radioactive material other than source material
    [Show full text]
  • Highly Enriched Uranium: Striking a Balance
    OFFICIAL USE ONLY - DRAFT GLOSSARY OF TERMS APPENDIX F GLOSSARY OF TERMS Accountability: That part of the safeguards and security program that encompasses the measurement and inventory verification systems, records, and reports to account for nuclear materials. Assay: Measurement that establishes the total quantity of the isotope of an element and the total quantity of that element. Atom: The basic component of all matter. Atoms are the smallest part of an element that have all of the chemical properties of that element. Atoms consist of a nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by electrons. Atomic energy: All forms of energy released in the course of nuclear fission or nuclear transformation. Atomic weapon: Any device utilizing atomic energy, exclusive of the means for transportation or propelling the device (where such means is a separable and divisible part of the device), the principal purpose of which is for use as, or for development of, a weapon, a weapon prototype, or a weapon test device. Blending: The intentional mixing of two different assays of the same material in order to achieve a desired third assay. Book inventory: The quantity of nuclear material present at a given time as reflected by accounting records. Burnup: A measure of consumption of fissionable material in reactor fuel. Burnup can be expressed as (a) the percentage of fissionable atoms that have undergone fission or capture, or (b) the amount of energy produced per unit weight of fuel in the reactor. Chain reaction: A self-sustaining series of nuclear fission reactions. Neutrons produced by fission cause more fission. Chain reactions are essential to the functioning of nuclear reactors and weapons.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Fissile Material Report 2015 Nuclear Weapon and Fissile Material Stockpiles and Production
    Global Fissile Material Report 2015 Nuclear Weapon and Fissile Material Stockpiles and Production Eighth annual report of the International Panel on Fissile Materials Eighth annual report of the International Panel on Fissile Materials Global Fissile Material Report 2015 Nuclear Weapon and Fissile Material Stockpiles and Production 2015 International Panel on Fissile Materials This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License To view a copy of this license, visit www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0 On the cover: the map shows existing uranium enrichment and plutonium separation (reprocessing) facilities. Table of Contents About the IPFM 1 Summary 2 Nuclear Weapons 4 Highly Enriched Uranium 10 Military HEU 13 Civilian Use of HEU 17 Civilian Uranium Enrichment Plants 19 Separated Plutonium 23 Weapons Plutonium 25 Civilian Plutonium 29 Nuclear Weapons, Fissile Materials and Transparency 34 Appendix 1. Fissile Materials and Nuclear Weapons 40 Appendix 2. Uranium Enrichment Plants 48 Appendix 3. Reprocessing Plants 49 Appendix 4. Civilian Plutonium Stockpile Declarations 50 Endnotes 51 About the IPFM The International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM) was founded in January 2006. It is an independent group of arms-control and nonproliferation experts from seventeen countries, including both nuclear weapon and non-nuclear weapon states. The mission of the IPFM is to analyze the technical basis for practical and achievable policy initiatives to secure, consolidate, and reduce stockpiles of highly enriched urani- um and plutonium. These fissile materials are the key ingredients in nuclear weapons, and their control is critical to nuclear disarmament, halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and ensuring that terrorists do not acquire nuclear weapons.
    [Show full text]
  • The Regulation of Fusion – a Practical and Innovation-Friendly Approach
    The Regulation of Fusion – A Practical and Innovation-Friendly Approach February 2020 Amy C. Roma and Sachin S. Desai AUTHORS Amy C. Roma Sachin S. Desai Partner, Washington, D.C. Senior Associate, Washington, D.C. T +1 202 637 6831 T +1 202 637 3671 [email protected] [email protected] The authors want to sincerely thank the many stakeholders who provided feedback on this paper, and especially William Regan for his invaluable contributions and review of the technical discussion. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 II. THE STATE OF FUSION INNOVATION 3 A) An Introduction to Fusion Energy 3 B) A Rapid Growth in Private-Sector Fusion Innovation 4 III. U.S. REGULATION OF ATOMIC ENERGY - NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL 7 A) The Foundation of U.S. Nuclear Regulation - The Atomic Energy Act and the NRC 7 B) The Atomic Energy Act Embraces Different Regulations for Different Situations 7 1. NRC Frameworks for Different Safety Cases 8 2. Delegation of Regulatory Authority to States 9 IV. THE REGULATION OF FUSION - A PRACTICAL AND INNOVATION- FRIENDLY APPROACH 10 A) Fusion Regulation Comes to the Fore, Raising Key Questions 10 B) A Regulatory Proposal That Recognizes the Safety Case of Fusion and the Needs of Fusion Innovators 11 1. Near-Term: Regulation of Fusion Under the Part 30 Framework is Appropriate Through Development and Demonstration 11 2. Long-Term: The NRC Should Develop an Independent Regulatory Framework for Fusion at Commercial Scale, Not Adopt a Fission Framework 12 V. CONCLUSION 14 1 Hogan Lovells I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fusion, the process that powers the Sun, has long been seen Most fusion technologies are already regulated by the NRC as the “holy grail” of energy production.
    [Show full text]
  • A Fission-Fusion Hybrid Reactor in Steady-State L-Mode Tokamak Configuration with Natural Uranium
    PSFC/RR-11-1 A Fission-Fusion Hybrid Reactor in Steady-State L-Mode Tokamak Configuration with Natural Uranium Reed, M., Parker, R., Forget, B.* *MIT Department of Nuclear Science & Engineering January 2011 Plasma Science and Fusion Center Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA 02139 USA A Fission-Fusion Hybrid Reactor in Steady-State L-mode Tokamak Configuration with Natural Uranium Mark Reed, Ronald R. Parker, Benoit Forget Massachusetts Institute of Technology January 2011 Abstract The most prevalent criticism of fission-fusion hybrids is simply that they are too exotic - that they would exacerbate the challenges of both fission and fusion. This is not really true. Intriguingly, hybrids could actually be more viable than stand-alone fusion reactors while mitigating many challenges of fission. This work develops a conceptual design for a fission-fusion hybrid reactor in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with a subcritical natural or depleted uranium pebble bed blanket. A liquid lithium- lead alloy breeds enough tritium to replenish that consumed by the D-T fusion reaction. Subcritical operation could obviate the most challenging fuel cycle aspects of fission. The fission blanket augments the fusion power such that the fusion core itself need not have a high power gain, thus allowing for fully non-inductive (steady-state) low confinement mode (L-mode) operation at relatively small physical dimensions. A neutron transport Monte Carlo code models the natural uranium fission blanket. Maximizing the fission power while breeding sufficient tritium allows for the selection of an optimal set of blanket parameters, which yields a maximum prudent fission power gain of 7.7.
    [Show full text]
  • Curium in Space
    ROBIN JOHANSSON Curium in Space KTH Royal Institute of Technology Master Thesis 2013-05-05 Abstract New technology has shown the possibility to use a miniature satellite in conjunction with an electric driven engine to make a spiral trajectory into space from a low earth orbit. This report has done an investigation of the new technique to produce power sources replacing solar panels which cannot be used in missions out in deep space. It is in essence an alternative use of curium among the many proposals on how to handle the intermediate stored used nuclear fuel or once through nuclear fuel as some people prefer to call it. The idea of sending radioactive used nuclear fuel into outer space has been considered before. There was a proposal, for example, to load a space shuttle with radioactive material. This could have serious consequences to the nearby population in the event of a major malfunction to the shuttle. The improvement to this old idea is to use a small satellite with only a fraction of the spent fuel. With this method and other technological advances, it is possible to further reduce the risk of contamination in the event of a crash. This report has looked into the nuclear energy production of Sweden and the current production of transuranium elements (Pu, Np, Am and Cm). The report has also focused on the curium (Cm) part of the transuranium elements, which is the most difficult to recycle in a fast neutron spectra. The physical property of curium reduces many of the safety parameters in the reactor as it is easily transmutated into californium, which is a high neutron emitter.
    [Show full text]
  • Detection of Nuclear Weapons and Materials: Science, Technologies, Observations
    Detection of Nuclear Weapons and Materials: Science, Technologies, Observations Jonathan Medalia Specialist in Nuclear Weapons Policy June 4, 2010 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R40154 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Detection of Nuclear Weapons and Materials: Science, Technologies, Observations Summary Detection of nuclear weapons and special nuclear material (SNM, plutonium, and certain types of uranium) is crucial to thwarting nuclear proliferation and terrorism and to securing weapons and materials worldwide. Congress has funded a portfolio of detection R&D and acquisition programs, and has mandated inspection at foreign ports of all U.S.-bound cargo containers using two types of detection equipment. Nuclear weapons contain SNM, which produces suspect signatures that can be detected. It emits radiation, notably gamma rays (high-energy photons) and neutrons. SNM is dense, so it produces a bright image on a radiograph (a picture like a medical x-ray) when x-rays or gamma rays are beamed through a container in which it is hidden. Using lead or other shielding to attenuate gamma rays would make that image larger. Nuclear weapons produce detectable signatures, such as radiation or a noticeable image on a radiograph. Other detection techniques are also available. Nine technologies illustrate the detection portfolio: (1) A new scintillator material to improve detector performance and lower cost. This project was terminated in January 2010. (2) GADRAS, an application using multiple algorithms to determine the materials in a container by analyzing gamma-ray spectra. If materials are the “eyes and ears” of detectors, algorithms are the “brains.” (3) A project to simulate large numbers of experiments to improve detection system performance.
    [Show full text]