POLICY ISSUE

NOTATION

March 28, 2005 SECY-05-0051

FOR: The Commissioners

FROM: Luis A. Reyes

Executive Director for Operations

SUBJECT: DETAILS AND PROJECTED COST OF A DEMONSTRATION TEST

OF A FULL-SCALE SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL RAIL TRANSPORTATION CASK

UNDER THE PACKAGE PERFORMANCE STUDY

PURPOSE:

To provide the Commission with information concerning the details, projected costs, and schedule

for a demonstration test of a full-scale spent nuclear fuel rail transportation cask, as directed

in the Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM) for SECY-04-0135, dated December 10, 2004.

SUMMARY:

This paper provides a brief background discussion concerning the history of staff and Commission

actions for the Package Performance Study (PPS). The discussion then turns to the details,

projected costs, and schedule for the proposed demonstration test of a full-scale spent nuclear fuel

rail transportation cask, as directed in the SRM for SECY-04-0135. The proposed test scenario

will involve a fully assembled spent nuclear fuel cask, with surrogate fuel assemblies, tied to

and supported on a carrier railcar that is impacted by another train, traveling at 60 MPH,

at a 90-degree angle at a simulated rail crossing. The total projected cost for the demonstration test

is $11.2 million. However, a firm price for the demonstration test cannot be determined until

after the Chairman’s approval to proceed with the procurement actions for the demonstration

test. The planned activities for the demonstration test are scheduled to be completed within 192

weeks after the Commission’s approval to proceed with the project.

CONTACT: Abdul H. Sheikh, RES/DET/ERAB

(301) 415-6004
The Commissioners -2-

BACKGROUND:

Over the past 26 years, the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC),

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), has conducted (or sponsored) and published

a series of studies assessing the risks associated with transporting spent nuclear fuel. 

The latest study, known as the Package Performance Study (or PPS), proposed a full-scale test

to demonstrate the robustness of spent nuclear fuel transportation casks. This confirmatory

research study is grounded in an enhanced public participatory process.

In February 2003, the staff published NUREG-1768, “Package Performance Study Test Protocols,”

which documented a proposed plan for performing extra-regulatory impact and fire tests

(i.e., testing beyond the regulatory criteria) on certified spent fuel rail and truck transportation casks. 

Through extensive public meetings and comments, a wide range of stakeholders provided input

for staff consideration of how the tests should be conducted. On the basis of that input, the staff

identified additional testing approaches and developed a Commission paper (SECY-04-0029),

dated February 23, 2004, which summarized the major public comment themes and presented

testing options for the Commission’s review and approval.

In response to SECY-04-0029, the Commission issued an SRM, dated May 11, 2004,

in which the Commission approved the testing of a full-scale, certified rail cask of a type that is

currently being used, or is expected to be used in the foreseeable future to transport spent fuel. 

The Commission also directed the staff to commence procurement of such a cask

and, prior to publishing a request for bids, inform the Commission of the specific details

of the cask design and the related justification. The staff provided that information

in a memorandum to the Chairman, dated July 2, 2004, requesting authorization to enter into

a procurement exceeding $3 million.

Additionally, the SRM for SECY-04-0029 directed the staff to submit, for Commission approval,

a plan for a demonstration test with sufficient instrumentation to collect data to confirm

the validity of key analytical methods and assumptions, including scaling. In particular,

the Commission specified that the demonstration test should be realistically conservative

and should include exposure to a fully engulfing fire. The Commission further directed the staff

to interact with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to determine whether DOE will provide

funding for the demonstration test and to inform DOE that the PPS could be expanded

in the future to include testing of a certified truck cask.

The staff subsequently submitted a Commission Paper (SECY-04-0135), dated July 27, 2004,

to request the Commission’s approval of a demonstration test plan. As a result, in the SRM

for SECY-04-0135, dated December 10, 2004, the Commission directed the staff to prepare

an information paper outlining the details and projected costs of a demonstration test

that represents a viable transportation accident, and not necessarily the “worst case” scenario

or a hypothetical accident requiring multiple events to occur simultaneously. The SRM

specifically directed that the demonstration test should consist of a simulated crossing

with a train traveling at an appropriate speed colliding at a 90-degree angle with a transportation cask

on its rail carrier car in a normal transportation configuration. This paper provides

the requested information.
The Commissioners -3-

DISCUSSION:

The staff’s process for developing the demonstration test plan, projected costs, and a proposed

schedule involved (1) developing a test plan that is consistent with the direction provided by the

Commission, (2) reviewing the applicability of the test data from the full-scale drop tests

recently performed at the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM)

facility to reduce the scope of the demonstration test, and (3) determining the cost estimate

and schedule for the demonstration test with input from transportation cask suppliers

and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Demonstration Test Plan

The demonstration test will be performed in accordance with the Commission’s direction

in the SRM for SECY-04-0135. A fully assembled transportation cask with surrogate fuel

assemblies tied to and supported on a carrier railcar will be impacted by a train at a 90-degree

angle at a simulated rail crossing. The train to be used for the demonstration test will consist of

a locomotive with several freight railcars. Structural analysis will be performed prior to the

demonstration test to determine the number of freight railcars, and the loads in each railcar

required to simulate the relevant momentum and energy of an average length train. 

The locomotive will be similar to the one that the various railroads use for hauling freight trains. 

The transportation cask to be used for the demonstration test will be one that DOE is likely to

use to transport nuclear fuel to the potential high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain,

Nevada. In addition, the transportation cask will have a current NRC certificate of compliance

to transport commercial spent nuclear fuel, in accordance with Title 10, Part 71, of the Code

of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 71).

It is likely that the spent nuclear fuel transportation casks will be shipped to a potential Yucca

Mountain repository using railcars that are manufactured and certified in accordance with

Standard S-2043, “Performance Specification for Trains Used To Carry High-Level Radioactive

Material,” which the Association of American Railroads (AAR) issued for transporting spent

nuclear fuel. This standard includes special requirements for railcar coupling systems, brakes,

nondestructive examination, and dynamic load tests. However, the structural design

requirements for the AAR Standard S-2043 railcar for the spent fuel transportation trains are

the same as those for regular center depressed freight cars. Since the demonstration test

is intended to determine the structural response of a transportation cask on a freight railcar,

a regular freight railcar of equivalent/similar structural design will be used in the test.

The spent nuclear fuel transportation cask will likely be tied to the railcar in accordance with the

retention requirements of AAR Rule 88A during transportation to a potential Yucca Mountain

repository. Therefore, the mounting system for the demonstration test will also be designed to

conform to AAR Rule 88A.

Before performing the demonstration test, a detailed pretest structural analysis will be performed

to predict the behavior of the locomotive, railcars, and the transportation cask after impact. 

Based on that pretest analysis, a detailed instrumentation plan will be developed to record

the stresses and deformations in the transportation cask, locomotive, and railcars. Different

parts of the locomotive, transportation cask, and railcars will be painted in different colors

to facilitate identification after the test.
The Commissioners -4-

After the demonstration test, a post-test structural analysis will be performed to address

any discrepancies between the predicted and actual test results, which may be attributable

to variation in train impact speed, material properties of the transportation cask, locomotive,

and railcars. This will include analyses required to address the actual train impact speed

and material properties of the different components.

The Commission’s approval to procure the transportation cask, locomotive, and railcars

is a prerequisite to begin pretest analysis. The pretest analysis cannot be performed until

the structural drawings and details of transportation cask, locomotive, and railcars are available.

Train Impact Speed

The train speed at a rail-to-rail crossing depends on the type of track, railroad operating procedures,

and hardware installed to protect the rails at the crossing. The three types of rail-to-rail crossings

currently in use are as follows:

• standard diamond

• one-way low-speed flange-bearing frog (OWLSFBF) diamond

• two-way flange-bearing frog (TWFBF) diamond

The rails at a standard diamond crossing do not have any special reinforcements at the track

intersections. The flange-bearing frog diamond crossings provide a special track structure

at track intersections to provide support for the train wheels to reduce railroad maintenance costs. 

The OWLSFBF diamond crossings have flange bearings for one direction, while the TWFBF

crossings provide support for train wheels in both directions.

The FRA does not impose any special speed restrictions at standard diamond crossings,

but requires that the maximum train speed must not exceed the maximum allowable speed

for the class of track at the crossing. The railroads have to conform to certain speed restrictions

and/or obtain a waiver from the FRA to install flange-bearing frog diamond crossings. 

However, both the FRA and the AAR have informed the staff that the individual railroads’

operating procedures limit the speed at all three types of rail-to rail crossings to 45 – 50 MPH

for maintenance reasons.

The speed at which the demonstration test can be performed depends on the type and layout

of track at the test facility, and the maximum locomotive operating speed. FRA personnel

have informed the NRC staff that a track layout at the facility in Pueblo, Colorado, can be

modified to perform the demonstration test at a maximum speed of 60 – 70 MPH. This is

considerably more than the maximum speed of 50 MPH at rail-to rail crossing on U.S. railroads,

as described above. Therefore, during the development of the detailed test plan, the staff

will target an impact speed of 60 MPH to represent a viable, realistic, and conservative scenario,

but not a “worst case” accident.

Fire and Immersion Testing

In accordance with the Commission’s direction in the SRM for SECY-04-0135, the demonstration

test will not include any fire or immersion testing. The staff will continue to follow and review

the results of fire and immersion tests performed by the nuclear industry and regulatory agencies

in other countries.
The Commissioners -5-

Full-Scale Drop Tests at the BAM Facility

The staff is currently negotiating a cooperative agreement with BAM to gain access to

the detailed results for the full-scale and scale model drop tests performed on the two

transportation casks at the BAM facility in Germany. The cooperative agreement will also

provide access to the additional drop tests that will be performed in the future at the BAM

facility. The staff will perform an independent detailed structural finite element analysis of the

drop scenario and compare the results to those of the BAM drop tests. This will establish the

magnitude of uncertainty in finite element analysis, and may address the use of scaling methods

in the structural analysis of the spent nuclear fuel casks. However, the drop test results may

not provide sufficient information about the behavior of transportation casks during a collision

with a train.

The staff will submit a separate paper to the Commission to address the scope, price, and schedule

for the analysis and review of the BAM drop test results.

Projected Cost of the Demonstration Test

The total cost to perform the demonstration test depends on the cost of acquiring

a transportation cask with a supporting railcar, locomotive, freight railcars, and test instrumentation,

as well as the cost of pretest and post-test structural analyses and the cost of conducting

the actual demonstration test. The staff will not be able to obtain a firm price for these items

until after the bidding process is complete. Approval to enter into contracts for these proposed

procurement contracts will be requested in accordance with the Commission’s approved

procedures.

The staff has obtained cost estimates for the transportation cask supported on its rail carrier car

in a normal transportation configuration from several potential suppliers. In addition, the FRA

has supplied cost estimates for a locomotive and railcars, pretest and post-test analyses,

and use of the facility in Pueblo, Colorado, to conduct the demonstration test. The staff

has also estimated the full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to support and coordinate

the demonstration test activities. On the basis of this information, the total projected cost

of the demonstration test is $11.2 million. A non-public attachment to this paper shows

the projected FTE requirements, cost breakdown for various activities, and cash flow.

Proposed Schedule

The staff has prepared a proposed schedule for performing the demonstration test

on a transportation cask that already has a NRC certificate of compliance. This schedule

is based on the assumption that DOE will award contracts for the supply of spent nuclear fuel

transportation casks within 6 months after the Commission gives its approval to proceed

with the demonstration test. The current published DOE schedule states that the contracts

for the supply of transportation casks will be awarded by December 31, 2005. During the Spent

Fuel Management Session of the Regulatory Information Conference on March 8, 2005, a

representative from the Department of Energy (DOE) discussed their activities related to

soliciting input from cask vendors and railcar vendors that would help in DOE’s decision for the

acquisition of casks and transportation railcars. NRC staff will continue to maintain cognizance

of this development and keep the Commission informed.
The Commissioners -6-

Another assumption underlying the proposed schedule is that the railcar used to transport

the spent nuclear fuel transportation cask will be a regular freight car of a structural configuration

equivalent to a railcar that complies with ARA Standard S-2043. This will ensure that

the demonstration test schedule is not constrained by the availability of a certified railcar

because, according to AAR personnel, none of the railcar suppliers has submitted

an application for certification in accordance with AAR Standard S-2043.

The proposed schedule includes the following major milestones, which are listed in cumulative

succession. Upon Commission approval to proceed with the demonstration test outlined in this

paper, staff will initiate development of the statements of work and other necessary supporting

documentation to begin the acquisition process.

Award contract for procurement of the locomotive, railcars, and test facility: 36 weeks

Award contract for procurement of a transportation cask: 40 weeks

Award contract for pretest and post-test structural analyses: 50 weeks

Receive manufactured cask delivered to testing facility: 126 weeks

Prepare test facility, install instrumentation, and perform pretest trials: 150 weeks

Perform the demonstration test: 154 weeks

Complete post-test analysis: 186 weeks

Issue the demonstration test Final Report: 192 weeks

RESOURCES:

There is a total of $13,420K and 2.4 FTE in the Nuclear Waste Fund available for the Package

Performance Study ($9,225K and 1.2 FTE in FY 2005 and $4,195K and 1.2 FTE in FY 2006). 

The proposed project schedule for the demonstration test is for the period FY 2006 – FY 2009. 

Based on this schedule, it is anticipated that funding available in FY 2005 will not be needed. 

As a result, this funding will be carried over from FY 2005 to FY 2006 and can be utilized to

cover the projected shortfall in FY 2006 of $1,105K, pending Commission approval. Future

funding requirements (FY 2007 - FY 2009) will be addressed in the NRC’s FY 2007 Planning,

Budgeting, and Performance Management (PBPM) process.

COORDINATION:

The Office of the General Counsel has reviewed this paper and has no legal objections. 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer has also reviewed this paper for resource implications

and has no objections.

CONCLUSION:

The demonstration test will be performed in accordance with the Commission’s direction

in the SRM for SECY-04-0135. A fully assembled transportation cask with surrogate fuel

assemblies tied to and supported on a carrier railcar will be impacted by a train traveling at 60

MPH colliding at a 90-degree angle at a simulated rail crossing. The projected cost and

schedule of the demonstration test are based on inputs from several cask vendors and the

FRA. The total projected cost for the demonstration test is $11.2 million. However, a firm price

for the demonstration test cannot be determined until after the Chairman’s approval to proceed with
The Commissioners -7-

the procurement actions for the demonstration test. The planned activities for the demonstration

test are scheduled to be completed within 192 weeks after the Commission’s approval to

proceed with the project.

/RA/

Luis A. Reyes

Executive Director

 for Operations

Attachments: 1. FTEs Required for the Package Performance Study

 2. Projected Cost of the Package Performance Study in $K
The Commissioners -7-

the procurement actions for the demonstration test. The planned activities for the demonstration

test are scheduled to be completed within 192 weeks after the Commission’s approval to

proceed with the project.

Luis A. Reyes

Executive Director

 for Operations

Attachments: 1. FTEs Required for the Package Performance Study

 2. Projected Cost of the Package Performance Study in $K

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OFFICE *Tech. Editor N *ERAB/DET *ERAB/DET *DET

NAME P. Garrity A. Sheikh M. Evans R. Barrett

DATE 03/04/05 3/3/05 3/3/05 3/3/05

OFFICE *DC/OADM *NMSS *NMSS *OGC

NAME Mary L. Scott W. Brach J. Strosnider K. Cyr

DATE 3/8/05 3/8/05 3/11/05 3/10/05

OFFICE OCFO *RES *DEDMRS *EDO

NAME J. Funches C. Paperiello M. Virgilio /RA/ L. Reyes /RA/

DATE 3/16/05 3/17/05 3/28/05 3/28/05

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

OFFICE SISP Review SISP Review

NAME A. Sheikh M. Evans

DATE 3/3/05 3/3/05