Vitrified Waste
During the reprocessing of nuclear fuel, residual materials remain which are bound in glass canisters by vitrification/vitrification. GNS has developed the CASTOR® HAW28M for the transport and safe storage of these mostly highly radioactive glass vitrified waste, for example in the context of the return from the reprocessing plants La Hague, France, and Sellafield, UK.
The CASTOR® HAW28M is designed for the transport and interim storage of up to 28 canisters with heat-generating vitrified waste (Highly Active Waste = HAW) generated from the reprocessing of spent fuel.
The cask consists of the thick-walled cylindrical cask body made of ductile cast iron. For neutron moderation axial boreholes are drilled into the cask wall and filled with polyethylene moderator rods. In addition, there are shielding elements in the basket, a moderator plate at the bottom and a multi-part moderator plate on the top of the metal sealed primary lid. In the storage configuration, a secondary lid is tightly secured to the cask body.
On the outside wall, radial cooling fins are machined to improve the heat transfer to the environment. Four trunnions are bolted for handling and fixing the cask onto the transport equipment. For transport on public routes the cask can be equipped with shock absorbers.
The CASTOR®HAW28M complies with the international regulations of the IAEA for type B(U)F package designs.
The casks complies with the acceptance criteria of the reprocessing plants in La Hague (F) and Sellafield (GB) and has the licenses for road transport in Germany, France and England. Furthermore the cask is approved for long-term interim storage in Germany and Switzerland and has the necessary licenses for shipment from England to Germany as well as Switzerland.
Meanwhile 33 CASTOR® HAW28M casks have been loaded in the course of return of reprocessing waste from La Hague (F) and Sellafield (UK). 21 of them are stored in the interim storage facility at Gorleben (GER), six at BIblis (GER) and another six casks are stored in the Swiss interim storage facility ZWILAG.