Development of a safeguards sealing system for multi-element bottles

A safeguards sealing system is being developed for containers used by BNFL for transporting spent nuclear fuel, and its subsequent storage in water filled ponds. It is proposed that one or more of the bolts used for fixing the lid of the container to the body will have a unique identifier built into it/them. The unique identifier(s) will be capable of being interrogated by an ultrasonic seal pattern reader (SPAR) unit whilst being stored under several metres of water. The design of the unique identifier is based on the ARC system developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL). The SPAR system developed by Sandia National Laboratories for use with the ARC system has been modified to take account of decisions to use the top edge of the ''seal'' as the reference point for the acquisition of seal data, and to use direct measurements of temperature in the algorithm used to correct the seal signature for temperature effects.