NAC International Receives US Patent for OPTIMUS Transportation Cask

Peachtree Corners, GA - July 21, 2022 - NAC International announced today it has received a patent on the manufacturing method for its OPTIMUS transportation cask from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. NAC’s OPTIMUS, which is short for OPTImal Modular Universal Shipping cask technology, is designed for optimal versatility and economics for transporting radioactive waste material.

OPTIMUS transportation systems can be configured to package and transport a wide range of materials from fresh and used fuel assemblies to nonconforming transuranic (TRU) waste.

The OPTIMUS comes in two variants: the OPTIMUS-H for high-activity radioactive waste and OPTIMUS-L for low-activity contents and mixed low-level radioactive waste. Both variants have been licensed in Canada. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has licensed the OPTIMUS-L and the OPTIMUS-H is under review with the NRC.

“Receiving a U.S. patent on the manufacturing process for the OPTIMUS cask is a good recognition of the original thinking that went into the development of this unique transportation system. Thanks to its innovative design, OPTIMUS can safely and cost-effectively transport a wide variety of waste with fissile materials,” said Steve Sisley, Manager of Cask Development Projects at NAC.

For more information about NAC’s OPTIMUS transportation systems, click here.