Radiological Materials Quantity Limits

DOE-HDBK-1129-99

3.4 Radiological Materials Quantity Limits

3.4.1 Tritium Shipping, Radioactive Material Inventory, Quantity Limits

Once an item has met the DOE and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements for

shipment (properly packaged, radioactively surveyed, properly marked, properly filled out shipping

papers, etc.) then the item inside the approved shipping package can be shipped to a new

location.

During shipment, the item inside the approved shipping package is expected to be subject to the

normal activities associated with its movement from one location to another; for example, loading

and unloading the package from vehicles, transport to a shipping area, storage in the shipping

area prior to transport, loading and unloading the package onto trucks/trains/airplanes, and storage

in the receiving area after arrival at the new destination.

The packaging required by DOT/NRC regulations is designed to protect the workers, the public,

and the environment from the radioactive material during normal package handling, transport, and

shipping/receiving storage.

The applicable requirements for various quantities of tritium for transportation and storage are

roughly as follows:

Limited Quantity (< 21.6 Ci for gas; see Table 7-1 for solids, liquids, and applicable

49 CFR 173 requirements): Limited Quantities of tritium can be packaged and shipped in

strong, tight containers (paper boxes, paint cans) with proper markings.

Type A Quantity (21.6 to < 1080 Ci): Type A quantities of tritium use DOT Specification 7A

containers, properly marked and surveyed prior to shipment. A number of different packages

are available from small cans, 55 and 85 gallon drums, 4 x 4 x 7-foot steel boxes, up to and

including oversized, specially designed containers. These containers are relatively

inexpensive.

Type B Quantity (> 1080 Ci): Type B quantities of tritium must be shipped in a certified DOT

Type B package. There is only a limited number of these expensive Type B packages

available for tritium shipment (e.g., UC-609, TRUPACT-II), and special routing (i.e., prescribed

routes employing highway route control such as using major highways, bypassing cities, etc.) is

required.

Type B Quantity, Low-Level Radioactive Waste: For the purposes of storage at the waste site,

Type B quantity solid waste can be stored in Type A containers.

At the waste generation location, items containing greater than 1080 Ci quantities of tritium are

normally stored in Type A containers. These Type A containers containing over 1080 Ci must

then be placed into Type B containers for shipping to DOE waste sites. At the DOE waste site, the

Type A containers can be removed from the Type B package and stored in the Type A package.

This allows the expensive Type B package to be freed up to be returned to the shipper and reused

for another Type B shipment. A radiological materials inventory must still meet the requirements

as discussed in Section 3.3.1.b.