Publications Details

Design of a small Type B package for the shipment of radioactive gas

York II, A.R.; Freedman, J.M.; Kincy, M.A.; Joseph, B.J.

Sandia National Laboratories has completed the design and is now fabricating packages for shipment of tritium gas in conformance with 10 CFR 71. The package, referred to as the AL-SX, is quite unique in that its contents are a radioactive gas, and a large margin of safety has been demonstrated through overtesting. The AL-SX is small, 42 cm in diameter and 55 cm tall, and weighs between 55 kg empty and up to a maximum of 60 kg with contents and is designed for a 20-year service life. This paper describes the design of the AL-SX and certification testing performed on AL-SX packages and discusses containment of tritium and AL-SX manufacturing considerations.