Atlas Phase 2 Report - Preliminary Design

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing for future large-scale transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, which are collectively defined as High-Level Radioactive Material (HLRM) by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). A part of this preparation includes designing railcars to be used for the transport of HLRM.
 

The DOE Contract DE-NE0008390 titled “Design and Prototype Fabrication of Railcars for Transport of High-Level Radioactive Material” was awarded to AREVA Federal Services, LLC (now known as Orano Federal Services LLC) in August 2015. Prototype railcars are to include both a cask railcar to haul HLRM casks (hereafter, the deliverable cask railcar is specifically referred to as "Atlas") and two buffer railcars used for spacing between the train engine and Atlas railcars, the Atlas and escort railcars, and for weight distribution between Atlas railcars, as deemed necessary.

Phase 2 includes:
a. The submission of the preliminary design packages of the Atlas and buffer railcars designed to meet the AAR Standard S-2043 guidelines (completed).
b. The delivery of the preliminary design data package and dynamic modeling input and output data files to DOE (completed), and;
c. The subsequent receipt from the AAR of a notice to “proceed with the test phase” which allows the prototype railcars to be built in accordance with Section 3.2.1 of S-2043 (completed).