Twenty years of packaging testing at the Institute for Nuclear Research Pitesti - INR, Romania

Since 20 years, the Institute for Nuclear Research Pitesti (INR), through the Reliability and Testing Laboratory, is licensed by the Romanian Nuclear Regulatory Body - CNCAN and is able to carry out qualification tests for packages to be used for the transport and storage of radioactive materials. Radioactive materials, including wastes, generated by Romanian nuclear facilities are packaged in accordance with national and the IAEA's Regulations for safe transportation to the disposal center. Subjecting these packages to normal and simulating test conditions one accomplish the evaluation and certification in order to prove the package technical performances. The paper describes the qualification tests for type A packages used for transport and storage of radioactive materials, performed during a period of 20 years of experience. Testing is used to substantiate assumption in analytical models and to demonstrate package structural response. The Romanian test facilities are used to simulate the required qualification tests and have been developed in INR Pitesti, the main supplier of type A packages used for transport and storage of low radioactive wastes in Romania. The testing programme will continue to be a strong option to support future package development, to perform a broad range of verification and certification tests on radioactive material packages or component sections, such as packages used for transport of radioactive sources to be used for industrial or medical purposes. The paper describes and contain illustrations showing some of the various tests for type A packages which have been performed during certain periods of 20 years and how they relate to normal conditions and minor mishaps during transport. Quality assurance and quality controls measures taken in order to meet technical specification provided by the design there are also presented and commented. (author)