Safe shipment of uranium hexafluoride

In order for nuclear power to function in Russia, the reliability of all components of the nuclear-power system must be improved, and the shipment of the radioactive raw materials between the facilities producing and fabricating fuel elements must be made safer. Among the other components of the nuclear fuel cycle, the main objects shipped by rail are uranium hexafluoride with natural content of the fissioning isotope 235U and uranium hexafluoride with low enrichment (<5% with respect to 235U). Uranium hexafluoride is radioactive and chemically highly toxic. Under ordinary conditions it is a solid. It shipped by rail in hermetically sealed, specially engineered containers, holding from two to seven tons of this expensive material, taking into account the requirements imposed by special safety measures. Work on improving the safety of shipment of uranium hexafluoride has been conducted since 1986, in accordance with the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency, by a number of scientific and construction organizations and stronger, specially engineered containers with safety shielding are being tested. Both international and domestic experience is being taken into account in the development of such containers. For example, experimental samples of shipping and packing assemblies, which ensure that the containers will remain sealed in different accident situations, have been developed. According to international rules, containers for shipping hexafluoride containing natural 235U do not require an outer protective container. The new constructions are mechanically stronger, more fire resistant, and can remain submerged in water for a longer period of time without damage