Nuclear waste containers for LLW and ILW

Nuclear Shields is a manufacturer of nuclear waste containers and developed a new self shielded container with a drum handling system to overpack nuclear waste drums for longer interim storage. Nuclear waste barrels are usually stacked up to the ceiling in rows, which makes it very difficult or even impossible to inspect the barrels for possible damages or moisture formation on the inside of the barrels. This nuclear waste container makes it possible to inspect the barrels because multiple options of handling the container have been integrated in the design. The container can be picked up with a crane or moved with a forklift from all sides.

The self shielding nuclear waste container has been developed for low level waste and intermediate level waste. The inside of the container can be equipped with lead shielding to provide a higher level of radiation shielding. Because the container can be self shielded, it is unnecessary to design a highly engineered shielded store. This will increase cost per container, but dramatically decrease the overall costs of the nuclear waste storage facility.

Lead shielding instead of concrete

This nuclear waste container is available with lead shielding instead of standard concrete shielded containers. The steel container including lead shielding will create a robust self shielded container (RSC), which will decrease the overall costs of operating the nuclear waste storage facility due to multiple reasons:

• - Higher storage capacity per package
• - Less containers needed than standard concrete packages
• - Fewer handling operations needed due to fewer packages
• - Reduction of required storage space

Lead has a much higher density than concrete. This means that lead shielding can be much thinner than concrete shielding, resulting in more storage capacity per container. Because there are less containers, fewer handling operations have to be performed. Workers will be exposed to a lower dose because they have to perform fewer handling operations.

Nuclear waste barrel handling system

Barrels containing low and intermediate level radioactive waste can be safely stored in interim storage facilities by placing them on the drum handling system. The handling system can be picked up with a crane and makes sure the drums are securely stored. The plastic bumpers prevent steel to steel corrosion thus improving the life expectancy of the drums.

Advantages

• - Quickly overpack nuclear waste drums for longer interim storage
• - Store LLW or ILW in drums or directly into the container
• - Multiple leak prevention layers made from various materials
• - Secure and easy stacking of containers
• - Multiple handling methods