Improvements of the IAEA safety system: what is necessary

The increasing numbers of package designs and packagings and the total number of shipments of radioactive materials will also lead to an increase of risk. Though no severe accidents have occurred up to now, thinking about given IAEA Standards became necessary. IAEA tests for type B packagings do not represent accidents, they only give classified standards. However, looking at possible accident situations for the different modes of transport, the system of safety may be lacking to a small degree. The work in risk assessment done by Sandia and Battelle gave quantitative figures, especially for the typical mechanical event of crushing. The stress and strain and the behavior of a container to pass the 9m drop test depends on the potential energy, i.e., there is no correlation to typical crush situations. For light packagings, the lack of safety can easily be seen. So an additional test should be defined: from a given limit of packaging weight, the 9m drop test shall be replaced by a dynamic crush test. In other classes of dangerous goods, the demand for a minimum outer wall thickness and certain material properties will be found. Due to the container's weight there is a need for such a request to change the puncture test in addition to a ripping test. Besides this, one should look for more detailed demands for construction methods and the choice of material, having in mind the lowest temperature of 233K. BAM has tested fuel rods, models of waste packagings and Fissile Class II packagings at 233K. Complete destruction of the latter container occurred at 233K, whereas the container survived the 9m drop test at ambient temperature due to the complexity of material and construction