Transfer Cask for Interim Transfer of MNSR Core and Core Loading and Off-loading Operations

S.V. Komarov, A.L. Denisov, A.A. Ivashchenko, A.A. Samsonov

The 9th Technical Meeting on Lessons Learned from the RRRFR Programme, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 3-5 June 2015

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The GHARR-1 research reactor conversion project involves the transportation of the spent HEU MNSR core to its country of origin – the People’s Republic of China. This transportation requires the MNSR core to be discharged from the reactor vessel and loaded into the SKODA MNSR cask to be followed by the assembly of the TUK-145/C-MNSR cask. Sosny R&D Company has proposed a procedure for the abovementioned operations. The procedure implementation requires an appropriate set of equipment to be created.

The basic idea includes the use of a compact transfer cask with bottom loading, designed for core operations. The proposed design of the transfer cask potentially allows temporary storage of the spent MNSR core on the reactor site (if required). The set of equipment will also include auxiliary equipment: structural frames for installing the transfer cask above the reactor vessel and mounting the transfer cask onto an appropriate vehicle, an adaptor for aligning the transfer cask with the SKODA MNSR cask, handling tools, etc. The proposed procedure makes use of most of the equipment fabricated during previous projects under the RRRFR program which has been used for top-loading and handling of the SKODA VPVR/M cask.

The paper describes the proposed procedure and the set of equipment, their features and advantages. It is shown that the solutions proposed are efficient and safe.