Current practices for safe and secure transport of radioactive sources in BARC Facilities

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is a nuclear research institution engaged in multidisciplinary research programs in nuclear fuel cycle activities and isotope technology with its facilities located at various parts of the country. Radioactive materials, such as fresh fuel, irradiated fuel, radioactive waste and radioactive sources, need to be transported between various facilities. The movement of radioactive material within controlled premises and in public domain between BARC facilities is regulated by BARC Safety Council. Packaging, transport, and storage of radioactive materials must be carried out in a safe and secure manner. Radiation hazard, often associated with chemical hazard, warrants safety and security schemes to ensure protection of human health and the environment. At BARC, a strong regulatory structure in place ensures safe and secure transport. To ensure the safety during transport in public domain, the radioactive material should be transported in accordance with the AERB Safety Code on AERB on Safe Transport of Radioactive Material- AERB/NRF-TS/SC-1 (Rev.1), March 2016. The transport operation includes design, fabrication and maintenance of packaging, preparation, consigning, handling, carriage, storage in transit and receipt at the final destination of the package. Different types of packaging are identified, depending on the characteristics of the material for transportation. The packaging must be strong enough to handle the radioactivity it contains during routine, normal and accident situations. Prior to deployment of the packaging in use, the packaging design must be approved by the competent authority. In addition to Defence-in-depth approach, emergency planning and preparedness are in place for safe transport of radioactive sources in public domain. The technologies applied are multidisciplined, which were demonstrated to be effective. This paper focuses on the current practices followed in BARC for packaging, transport, and storage of radioactive sources. It also, addresses the national and international regulatory requirements, technologies, operational history and experiences therein. (author)