Atlas Railcar Phase 1 Final Report
In preparation of an integrated nuclear waste management program, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing for future large-scale transport of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and Greater-Than-Class-C (GTCC) waste. A part of this preparation includes developing a fleet of railcars to be used for the transport of High-Level Radioactive Material (HLRM) and GTCC waste.
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 (AFS) in August 2015. Prototype railcars are to include both a cask railcar to haul HLRM casks (hereafter, the cask railcar is specifically referred to as "Atlas") and two buffer railcars used for spacing between the train engine and Atlas railcar(s), the Atlas railcar(s) and escort railcar, and for weight distribution between Atlas railcars, as deemed necessary.
In addition to the development of design and fabrication requirements, the key contract requirement is for the railcars to be approved by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) as compliant with AAR Standard S-2043 (Performance Specification for Trains Used to Carry High-Level Radioactive Material). This standard prescribes the performance guidelines that must be met by trains carrying HLRM. These guidelines optimize vehicle performance and incorporate the best available technology to minimize the chances of derailment.
This report titled “Design and Prototype Fabrication of Railcars for Transport of High-Level Radioactive Materials, Phase 1: Mobilization and Conceptual Design” compiles the work that was completed during Phase 1. This report includes a summary of the approach and results in meeting Phase 1 contract objectives, including the challenge in meeting S-2043 requirements and a resulting change in the prototype railcar’s configurations, and provides copies of Phase 1 deliverables in the appendices for reference.
The version of the Atlas railcar discussed in this report is a 12-axle configuration that is capable of carrying 15 spent nuclear fuel transportation cask models. As this report was being completed in late September 2016, a contract modification added the HI-STAR 190 SL and XL transportation casks to the list of cask models. The next phase of the design process, Phase 2, Preliminary Design, will include all the changes to the Atlas Railcar design necessary to transport these two casks.
