PLUTONIUM AIR TRANSPORTABLE (PAT-1) PACKAGING IMPLEMENTATION AND READINESS ACTIVITIES

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently received approval for the transport of plutonium metal by air in the Plutonium Air Transportable (PAT-1) packaging. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued Revision 10 to Certificate of Compliance USA/0361/B(U)F- 96 on December 23, 2010 adding plutonium metal as an authorized content. The INMM presentation will focus on the implementation activities that are currently being addressed prior to first use. Specifically, areas of discussion would include refurbishment of the PAT-1 fleet which has been inactive for many years, procurement and fabrication of specialized payload containers, authorized contents, packing configurations, leak test processes, and maintenance protocol.