Special form radioactive material
Special form radioactive material shall have at least one dimension not less than 5mm. When a sealed capsule constitutes part of the special form radioactive material, the capsule shall be so manufactured that it can be opened only by destroying it.The design for special form radioactive material requires unilateral approval.
Special form radioactive material shall be of such a nature or shall be so designed that if it is subjected to the tests specified in 2.2.7.2.3.3.4 to 2.2.7.2.3.3.8, it shall meet the following requirements:
(a)It would not break or shatter under the impact, percussion and bending tests2.2.7.2.3.3.5(a),(b),(c) and 2.2.7.2.3.3.6(a) as applicable;
(b)It would not melt or disperse in the applicable heat test 2.2.7.2.3.3.5(d) or 2.2.7.2.3.3.6(b) asapplicable; and
(c)The activity in the water from the leaching tests specified in 2.2.7.2.3.3.7 and 2.2.7.2.3.3.8would not exceed 2 kBq; or alternatively for sealed sources, the leakage rate for the volumetricleakage assessment test specified inISO9978:1992 "Radiation Protection - Sealed RadioactiveSources - Leakage Test Methods", would not exceed the applicable acceptance thresholdacceptable to the competent authority.
Demonstration of compliance with the performance standards in2.2.7.2.3.3.2 shall be in accordance with6.4.12.1 and 6.4.12.2.
Specimens that comprise or simulate special form radioactive material shall be subjected to the impact test, the percussion test, the bending test, and the heat test specified in2.2.7.2.3.3.5 or alternative tests as authorized in2.2.7.2.3.3.6. A different specimen may be used for each of the tests. Following each test, a leaching assessment or volumetric leakage test shall be performed on the specimen by a method no less sensitive than the methods given in 2.2.7.2.3.3.7 for indispersible solid material or 2.2.7.2.3.3.8 for encapsulated material.
The relevant test methods are:
(a)Impact test: The specimenshall drop onto the target from a height of 9m. The target shall beas defined in 6.4.14;
(b)Percussion test: The specimen shall be placed on a sheet of lead which is supported by asmooth solid surface and struck by the flat face of a mild steel bar soas to cause an impactequivalent to that resulting from a free drop of 1.4 kg through 1m. The lower part of the barshall be 25mm in diameter with the edges rounded off to a radius of (3.0±0.3) mm. The lead,of hardness number 3.5 to 4.5 on the Vickers scale and not more than 25mm thick, shall coveran area greater than that covered by the specimen. A fresh surface of lead shall be used foreach impact. The bar shall strike the specimen so as to cause maximum damage;
(c)Bending test: The test shall apply only to long, slender sources with both a minimum length of10 cm and a length to minimum width ratio of not less than 10. The specimen shall be rigidlyclamped in a horizontal position so that one half of its length protrudes from the face of theclamp. The orientation of the specimen shall be such that the specimen will suffer maximumdamage when its free end is struck by the flat face of a steel bar. The bar shall strike thespecimen so as to cause an impact equivalent to that resulting from a free vertical drop of 1.4kg through 1m. The lower part of the bar shall be 25mm in diameter with the edges roundedoff to a radius of (3.0 ±0.3) mm;
(d)Heat test: The specimen shall be heated in air to a temperature of 800°C and held at thattemperature for a period of 10minutes and shall then be allowed to cool.
Specimens that comprise or simulate radioactive material enclosed in a sealed capsule may be excepted from:
(a)The tests prescribed in 2.2.7.2.3.3.5 (a) and (b) provided that the specimens are alternativelysubjected to the impact test prescribed in ISO 2919:2012: "Radiation Protection - SealedRadioactive Sources - General requirements and classification":
(i)The Class 4 impact test if the mass of the special form radioactive material is less than200 g;
(ii)The Class 5 impact test if the mass of the special form radioactive material is equal to ormore than 200 g but isless than 500 g;
(b)The test prescribed in 2.2.7.2.3.3.5(d) provided they are alternatively subjected to theClass6temperature test specified in ISO 2919:2012"Radiation protection - Sealed radioactivesources - General requirements and classification".
For specimens which comprise or simulate indispersible solid material, a leaching assessment shall be performed as follows:
(a)The specimen shall be immersed for 7 days in water at ambient temperature. The volume ofwater to be used in the test shall be sufficient to ensure that at the end of the7 day test periodthe free volume of the unabsorbedand unreacted water remaining shall be at least 10% of thevolume of the solid test sample itself. The water shall have an initial pH of 6-8 and a maximumconductivity of 1mS/m at 20 °C;
(b)The water with specimen shall then be heated to a temperature of (50±5)°C and maintained atthis temperature for 4 hours;
(c)The activity of the water shall then be determined;
(d)The specimen shall then be kept for at least 7 days in still air at not less than 30 °C and relativehumidity not less than 90%;
(e)The specimen shall then be immersed in water of the same specification as in (a) above and thewater with the specimen heated to (50 ±5) °C and maintained at this temperature for 4 hours;
(f)The activity of the water shall then be determined.
For specimens which comprise or simulate radioactive material enclosed in a sealed capsule, either a leaching assessment or a volumetric leakage assessment shall be performed as follows:
(a)The leaching assessment shall consist of the following steps:
(i)the specimen shall be immersed in water at ambient temperature. The water shall havean initial pH of 6-8 with a maximum conductivity of 1mS/m at20°C;
(ii)the water and specimen shall be heated to a temperature of (50±5)°C and maintainedat this temperature for 4 hours;
(iii)the activity of the water shall then be determined;
(iv)the specimen shall then be kept for at least 7 days in still air at not less than 30°C andrelative humidity of not less than 90%;
(v)the process in (i), (ii) and (iii) shall be repeated;
(b)The alternative volumetric leakage assessment shall comprise any of the tests prescribed in ISO9978:1992 "Radiation Protection - Sealed radioactive sources - Leakage test methods",provided that they are acceptableto the competent authority.
Low dispersible radioactive material
The design for low dispersible radioactive material shall require multilateral approval.Low dispersible radioactive material shall be such that the total amount of this radioactive material in a package, taking into account the provisions of 6.4.8.14,shall meet the following requirements:
(a)The radiation level at 3 m from the unshielded radioactive material does not exceed 10mSv/h;
(b)If subjected to the tests specified in 6.4.20.3 and 6.4.20.4, the airborne release in gaseous andparticulate forms of up to 100 μm aerodynamic equivalent diameter would not exceed 100 A2.A separate specimen may be used for each test; and
(c)If subjected to the test specified in 2.2.7.2.3.1.4 the activity in the water would not exceed100 A2. Inthe application of this test, the damaging effects of the tests specified in (b) aboveshall be taken into account.
Low dispersible radioactive material shall be tested as follows:
A specimen that comprises or simulates low dispersible radioactive material shall be subjected tothe enhanced thermal test specified in 6.4.20.3 and the impact test specified in 6.4.20.4. A different specimen may be used for each of the tests. Following each test, the specimen shall be subjected to the leach test specified in2.2.7.2.3.1.4. After each test it shall be determined if the applicable requirements of 2.2.7.2.3.4.1 have been met.
Demonstration of compliance with the performance standards in2.2.7.2.3.4.1 and2.2.7.2.3.4.2 shall be inaccordance with 6.4.12.1 and 6.4.12.2.
Fissile material
Fissile material and packages containing fissile material shall be classified under the relevant entry as “FISSILE” in accordance with Table 2.2.7.2.1.1 unless excepted by one of the provisions of sub-paragraphs (a) to (f) below and carried subject to the requirements of 7.5.11 CV33 (4.3). All provisions apply only to material in packages that meets the requirements of 6.4.7.2 unless unpackagedmaterial is specifically allowed in the provision.
(a)Uranium enriched in uranium-235 to a maximum of 1% by mass, and with a total plutoniumand uranium-233 content not exceeding 1% of the mass of uranium-235, provided that thefissile nuclides aredistributed essentially homogeneously throughout the material. In addition,if uranium-235 is present in metallic, oxide or carbide forms, it shall not form a latticearrangement;
(b)Liquid solutions of uranyl nitrate enriched in uranium-235 to a maximum of 2%by mass, witha total plutonium and uranium-233 content not exceeding 0.002% of the mass of uranium, andwith a minimum nitrogen to uranium atomic ratio (N/U) of 2;
(c)Uranium with a maximum uranium enrichment of 5% by mass uranium-235 provided:
(i)There is no more than 3.5 g of uranium-235 per package;
(ii)The total plutonium and uranium-233 content does not exceed 1% of the mass ofuranium-235 per package;
(iii)Carriage of the package is subject to the consignment limit provided in 7.5.11 CV33(4.3)(c);
(d)Fissile nuclides with a total mass not greater than 2.0 g per package provided the package iscarried subject to the consignment limit provided in 7.5.11 CV33 (4.3)(d);
(e)Fissile nuclides with a total mass not greater than 45 g either packaged or unpackaged subjectto limits provided in 7.5.11 CV33 (4.3)(e);
(f)A fissile material that meets the requirements of 7.5.11 CV33 (4.3)(b), 2.2.7.2.3.6 and5.1.5.2.1.
A fissile material excepted from classification as “FISSILE” under 2.2.7.2.3.5 (f) shall be subcritical without the need for accumulation control under the following conditions:
(a)The conditions of 6.4.11.1 (a);
(b)The conditions consistent with the assessment provisions statedin 6.4.11.12 (b) and6.4.11.13(b) for packages.