Radiation Dose Assessment for Transport of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Materials

The IAEA transport regulations TS-R-1 now require transport organisations to implement radiation protection programmes to control radiation dose exposure to workers and the public. Dose assessment is a key feature and the likely doses to workers and the public determine the degree of dose monitoring that is required. This study makes an assessment of the likely doses to various types of worker in nuclear fuel cycle transport operations and also to members of the public, based mainly on the extensive experience of actual operations. It covers the main nuclear fuel cycle materials from uranium ore concentrate through to spent fuel and the main modes of transport; that is, road, rail and sea. The conclusion is that it is very unlikely that any group of workers not classified as radiation workers, or any member of the public, will receive annual doses in excess of 1 mSv, that is, all the transport operations for nuclear fuel cycle materials should fall within the lowest group for dose uptake. In this group the requirements are the least onerous, in particular no workplace or individual dose monitoring is required and such transport operations may require only basic implementation of the optimisation principle.