Foam for Nuclear Waste Containers

THE PREFERRED FOAM FOR TYPE A / B NUCLEAR WASTE TRANSPORTATION CONTAINERS

Superior fire and crash protection for the nuclear waste industry

General Plastics has shielded nuclear transportation packages from fire and collision for 40-plus years. Our LAST-A-FOAM® FR-3700 Performance Core Series foams couple exceptional impact resistance with excellent fire protection properties for nuclear material casings and shipping containers.

We produce turnkey containers that are CNC-machined and assembled to customers’ exact specifications. We can also supply FR-3700 Series foam for customers who prefer to build their own liners for Type A and Type B nuclear containers. The product is available in densities ranging from 3 to 40 pounds per cubic foot.

LAST-A-FOAM FR-3700: The #1 protective foam for Type A / Type B containers

This material has proven to be the most effective and enduring insulating liner for nuclear material applications and for transporting extremely hazardous waste. Customers worldwide rely on the unique properties, performance, quality, and life cycle traceability of our FR-3700 series foams to protect and transport their nuclear waste. General Plastics meets such demanding quality systems as NQA-1 and MIL-I-45208A. 

General Plastics custom-builds protective LAST-A-FOAM® FR-3700 liners for the most common types of radioactive waste containers: drum containers, MAP-12; OPUS; Travellers; TruPact I, II, II; UX-30 containers; and impact limiters.

Optimal properties for radioactive material (RAM) transportation packages

This material is rare in mitigating both mechanical and thermal energy, and fully satisfies RAM package regulations for energy absorption and exposure to fire in accident conditions. The formulation is specially designed to allow predictable impact-absorption performance under dynamic loading. At the same time, it provides an intumescent char layer that insulates and protects hazardous materials, even when exposed to pool-fire conditions.

Long-term physical performance and chemical resistance

LAST-A-FOAM^® FR-3700 retains its physical properties in long-term nuclear material applications, outperforming wood and other polymeric materials. When a sample of 20-year-old LAST-A-FOAM^® 3720 was irradiated and tested, there was no change in compressive strength or fire-retardant properties.

Rigid, closed-cell polyurethane LAST-A-FOAM^® products are highly resistant to a wide range of chemicals and solvents. Common petroleum products such as oil or gasoline have a negligible effect; exposure to liquid acids and bases does not significantly deteriorate foam properties at normal room temperatures.

For more information on selecting or designing with LAST-A-FOAM^® FR-3700 for these applications, consult our nuclear design guide or download our research paper on polyurethane foam as an impact mitigation and flame retardant material.

Advantages

• Closed cell foam with intumescent properties
• Mitigates both mechanical and thermal energy
• Proven long-term performance
• Satisfies RAM package regulations
• Outperforms wood and other polymeric materials
• Offers life cycle traceability of foam
• Biologically inert material
• Resistant to most chemicals and solvents
• Does not swell, crack or split when exposed to water
• Stable and CFC-free

Applications

• Drum containers
• MAP-12, OPUS
• Travellers
• TruPact I II III
• UX-30 containers
• Impact limiters

Certifications

• NQA-1
• QC-1
• MIL-I-45208A
• ISO 9001:2015/AS9100D
• ITAR compliant
• U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• U.S. Department of Energy
• National Nuclear Security Administration

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• FR-3700 Performance Core Series