An assessment of the viability of storing FFTF sodium in tank cars

Current FFTF Transition Project plans call for construction of a Sodium Storage Facility to store the plant sodium until it is processed either as product or waste. This report evaluates an alternative concept which would store the sodium in rail tank cars. It is concluded that utilizing a simple facility for offloading the FFTF sodium to standard industrial tank cars is not technically viable. Mitigation of potential radioactive sodium spills requires that the offload facility incorporate many of the features of the sodium storage facility. With these mitigation features incorporated, there is no significant cost or schedule advantage for the option of storing the FFTF sodium in tank cars when compared to the currently planned SSF. In addition, it is believed that the tank car option results in higher risk to project success because of unknowns associated with technical, regulatory, and public perception issues. It is therefore recommended that the project proceed with definitive design of the SSF