TRUPACT I

Studies on a transport system for defense transuranic (TRU) waste were initiated at Sandia in 1978. A cask was designed for the shipment of low-level radioactive materials from DOE sites to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The waste is in diverse forms such as rags, paper tools, large equipment, floor sweepings, and clothing. Preliminary design of a shipping container was completed in 1981 by General Atomic (now GA Technologies) under contract to Sandia. Six 1/4-scale models of the containers were built for testing, and full-scale tests were conducted on the panels of the containers and the transport drums.

Shown is an early quarter-scale development model of TRUPACT I being prepared for a puncture test in the late 1970s. Examining the test setup is Richard Yoshimura (facing camera) who has been with the Transportation Program since its inception.