High-Level Depiction of a Conceptual US Transportation System for Spent Nuclear Fuel

This paper provides an overview of a concept of operations for a transportation system formoving commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) fromcurrent locations to future interim storage or repository sites. Specifically, this paper provideshigh-level flowcharts of the transportation system concept of operations, along with a descriptionof the major operational processes shown in the flowcharts.The primary mode of transportation from commercial reactor sites to any interim storage facilityor repository is expected to be rail, and the railcars would be approved by the Association ofAmerican Railroads (AAR) as compliant with AAR Standard S-2043, Performance Specificationfor Trains Used to Carry High-Level Radioactive Material (AAR 2008). In instances whereorigin sites are not served by rail access, heavy haul trucks or barges would be used to ship SNFcasks from reactor sites to locations where they would be transloaded onto railcars to completetheir journey.The overview presented of the concept of operations depicts a fully functional transportationsystem in which the casks, railcars, maintenance facilities, and all other required resources arereadily available and functioning and the required transportation operations managementstructure, operations contractors, carriers, and other staff members are trained and on the job. Insummary, a stable, mature, and functioning transportation system is described. References to acask maintenance facility (CMF) or a rail maintenance facility (RMF) in this paper are presentedto discuss the types of maintenance activities to be performed, regardless of whether a CMF andRMF are separate, co-located, or in multiple facilities. Furthermore, while the operations of theconceptual transportation system are depicted, the paper does not identify the specific roles andresponsibilities of the various entities such as the US Department of Energy, carriers, equipmentsuppliers, and others in operating the transportation system to move SNF and HLW from originsites to destinations.