APPLYING CONSENSUS STANDARDS TO CASK DEVELOPMENT.

The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management is procuring cask systems for transporting commercial spent nuclear fuel and is encouraging development of innovative cask designs and materials to improve system efficiency. New designs and innovative materials require that consensus standards be established so that cask designers and regulators have criteria for determining acceptability. The status of activities currently in progress to develop consensus standards for spent fuel casks is discussed, including (1) ASME NUPACK, and (2) ASTM Specifications for ductile cast iron and borated stainless steel.