THE METHODOLOGIES FOR THE ANSI N14.1 STANDARD FOR URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) N14.1 Standard, “For Nuclear Materials - Uranium Hexafluoride - Packagings for Transport,” is an integral standard of the nuclear industry as it provides specifications for the packaging used for UF6 from its fabrication to its destruction. The N14 committee (Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive and Non-Nuclear Hazardous Material) meets once a year and has a roster of ~100 members representing eight distinct interest categories (approximately half are voting members). The committee’s last revision to the standard was issued in 2012, with the penultimate revision occurring 11 years earlier in 2001. The standard includes information on how to fabricate, clean, inspect, and certify UF6 cylinders, and it provides specifications for the fabrication of cylinders of various sizes. Furthermore, the standard contains sections on cylinder labelling, which is of great interest to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) NA-24-sponsored Global Cylinder Identification and Monitoring System (GCIMS) team. To ensure complete success in implementing their proposed system, the GCIMS team recognizes this section of the standard will likely need to be modified. This paper will review the methodology the committee uses when proposing changes to the standard and explain how integral the standard is to the success of the GCIMS.