Transportation Planning and Execution: Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel

There have been roughly 2,600 shipments of commercial spent fuel in this country over the past three decades or so. Although this is not an enormous volume by European standards, it is nevertheless significant. These shipments fall into two general categories: individual and "campaign."
There have been a number of individual shipments where lead test assembly fuel was shipped from a reactor to a laboratory for examination. This is an important part of reactor fuel development.
However, the bulk of the fuel has been shipped in campaigns, where multiple shipments, usually with several casks in service, are scheduled and conducted from one facility to another. Campaigns are conducted to minimize the impact of spent fuel shipping on the shipping and receiving facilities. By blocking out a specific period and maximizing the shipping activity, the facilities are able to mobilize the equipment, personnel, and infrastructure needed for the effort.
Let me illustrate a campaign by describing the Shoreham Fuel Transfer Project.