| Title | Comparative safety of the transport of high-level radioactive materials on dedicated, key, and regular trains: technical study |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 34511 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Borener, Sherry; Baker, Gary; Hitz, John; Meltzer, Neil; Talamini, Brandon; Coltman, Michael; Haines, Marsha |
| Source | 196p. in various pagings |
| Corporate Creator | John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.); United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration |
| Publisher | United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration |
| Publication Date | 20060300 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | This study compares the risks in transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste under three rail shipment alternatives: 1) regular train service, operating without restrictions with the exception of current hazardous materials regulations; 2) dedicated train service, operating with consist and operational restrictions; and 3) key train service, similar to regular train service with the additional speed limitation of 50 mph. Dedicated train shipments have a lower overall radioactivity exposure risk during incident-free transport than shipments by regular or key trains; the advantage is primarily derived from the differences in the duration and frequency of yard visits, which account for a significant portion of total exposure for impacted populations. Crew population doses, however, are higher for dedicated trains because of crews working closer to the cask. Estimated population group exposures are low and do not include any additional protective measures, which may be implemented to mitigate exposure. The accident analysis estimated the difference in accident probability between dedicated, regular, and key trains, and it identified two significant risks potentially impacting the caskâhigh-speed collisions and derailments, and long duration, high-temperature HAZMAT-involved fires. The analysis shows that speed restrictions reduce collision probability at high speeds and result in an overall reduction in the derailment rate. Dedicated trains reduce the likelihood of high-temperature fires due to lessened exposure to other hazardous material. The risk for loss of shielding accidents is shown to be lower for the shorter dedicated trains due to the decreased number of potentially derailed cars. |
| Rosap ID | dot:34491 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/34491 |
| TRT Terms | Crash analysis; Casks; Derailments; Fires; Freight transportation; Hazardous materials; High temperature; Radiation shielding; Radioactive materials; Railroad crashes; Railroad safety; Railroad transportation; Risk analysis; Spent reactor fuels; Train crews |
| General Subjects | Dedicated train service; Exposure; High speed crashes; Key train service; Regular train service |
| Classification | NTL - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT - Hazardous Materials Transportation |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
1039104 |
| Report Number | DOT/FRA/ORD-05/03; DOT-VNTSC-FRA-05-06 |
| Availability | Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/34000/34500/34511/ord0503.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |