The TN-MTR cask to be used for the CeANG transportation, during the rehearsal of the CeSOX logistic operations at LNGS
The CeANG is being manufactured in Russia. Then the it will be encapsulated in its 19 cm tungsten alloy shield, on the production site.
For the transportation the CeANG, surrounded by its tungsten shielding, will be inserted and secured in an IAEA certified transport container TN-MTR (AREVA/CEA) that is of B(U) type. A dedicated certification of the TN-MTR for the CeSOX transportation has been carried out by the AREVA TN Company. The CeANG is therefore completely safe even in case of transport or fire incidents.
The transportation from Russia to France and Italy is organized by the AREVA TN specialized company. Part of the AREVA Group, AREVA TN offers a complete range transport solutions for radioactive materials throughout the entire nuclear fuel cycle. A world leader in its sector, AREVA TN runs an international network of subsidiaries and partners. These entities share experience and resources to respond to the requirements of their customers and improve customer satisfaction.
The CeANG will then travel from Mayak to St Petersburg by train. Then it will be transported to France by boat. The last part of the transportation will be done by truck, via Saclay or Cadarache, until the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy.
For maritime transport, AREVA TN utilizes oceangoing transport ships and specially chartered vessels in accordance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) code.
AREVA TN works with LMC, one of its subsidiaries for road transport. Being ISO 9001- and 14001-certified, LMC operates in full compliance with the European Agreement on the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road. Its drivers undergo special training and hold a license authorizing them to transport Class 7 radioactive materials.
The transportation route from Mayak (Russia) to LNGS (Italy).
The 3.1 - 5.5 PBq CeANG where the will be installed beneath the Borexino detector, located in the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italty.
The laboratory is located near L’Aquila in Italy. It has been completed underground, at ∼3500 meter water equivalent, m.w.e., therefore Muon induced background events are strongly suppressed.
The LNGS laboratory is authorized to host the CeANG by a ministerial authorization of the Ministry Health, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of the Interior (Civil Protection), Ministry of Economic Development and ISPRA.
On October 10, 2017, a transport test was carried out at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories (LNGS). This is a "blank" test, that is, without load, in order to verify the transfer and handling procedures of the material.
The transport and handling test was carried out in compliance with a prescription of the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), under a ministerial authorization with favorable opinion of the Ministry Health, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of the Interior (Civil Protection), Ministry of Economic Development and ISPRA, and in a coordinated manner with the Prefectures of L'Aquila and Teramo.
Thanks to the design of the experiment no radiation exposure will affect the LNGS laboratory staff, or the population and the environment. Only few persons engaged in the installation of the CeANG, lasting for a few days, could be subjected to very small doses of radioactivity, which are in any case far below the dose to which each of us is subject when submitting to a dental orthopanorography radiography. a mammographic examination, or traveling on an intercontinental flight from Rome to New York (during which, due to altitude, one is subjected to natural cosmic radiation).
