NAC International Inc. announced it has received US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) certification for the OPTIMUS®-L version of its versatile OPTImal Modular Universal Shipping transport packaging system.
The OPTIMUS-L is now approved under NRC 10 CFR Part 71 with Certificate of Compliance (CoC) USA//B(U)F-96, effective 16 December 2021. The new certificate follows recent licensing approvals under Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) certifications for the OPTIMUS system in Canada, where NAC has delivered systems in support of an important nuclear decommissioning project.
The OPTIMUS-L was designed to accommodate low activity nuclear waste and fuel contents, such as low-level wastes, mixed wastes, contact-handled transuranic waste (TRU), lower activity intermediate-level waste, low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel materials, and other low-activity contents normally requiring shipment under a Type A(F) or Type B packaging requirements.
NAC said the US certification expands its transport packaging portfolio in North America and opens the door for NAC to seek other international Competent Authority validations where US NRC reference approval is highly desired.
“This certification in the US expands packaging options for US commercial customers and government programmes seeking more versatile and lower-cost solutions to transport nuclear materials safely and efficiently. The smaller size, modular packaging options, and greater adaptability of the OPTIMUS-L transportation packaging systems makes them economical choices for transporting a wide variety of waste materials that until now were considered orphan and stranded wastes,” said Kent Cole, NAC’s president and CEO.
NAC is also planning to seek NRC certification approval for the highly shielded version of the OPTIMUS packaging known as the OPTIMUS®-H, which is capable of shipping low-level type B and C waste, Greater Than Class C (GTCC) waste, remotely handled-TRU, used fuel debris and other intermediate-and high-level wastes. A licence application submittal to the NRC is expected in the near future.
Photo: The OPTIMUS-L transport cask has been licensed by the US regulator (Photo credit: NAC International)
