Design of a Cask for Onsite Transfer of Fuel Targets at the Savannah River Site

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is currently planning to recover and process the 65 Mk-18A fuel targets, currently in storage in the L-Reactor Disassembly Basin (L-Basin), in order to recover rare isotopes they contain for which there is currently no practical production method. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have been tasked with developing a method for recovery of these isotopes. The first step of the recovery plan requires relocating the Mk-18A fuel targets from the L-Basin to the SRNL Shielded Cell facility for initial processing. A new, onsite only SRS transfer cask is being designed for this purpose. This paper provides a brief history of the Mk-18A fuel targets. It also discusses the requirements for onsite transfers at the SRS and the need for and the details of the new cask design.