TY - CONF A1 - Lu, Xin A1 - Hicke, Konstantin T1 - Polarization-diversity-detection-based wavelength-scanning coherent-optical-time-domain reflectometer and its application for bus monitoring N2 - Although wavelength scanning coherent optical time-domain reflectometry (WS-COTDR) system is immune to fading effect, it suffers from occasional and localized large errors caused by the false peak in the correlation spectrum due to the large signal generated in the random interference of the backscattered light. Polarization diversity detection is applied to a standard WS-COTDR system to suppress large measurement errors. In this way, the orthogonally polarized components of backscattered light can be obtained and processed separately. Due to the birefringence of the sensing fiber, the components experience different interference processes, so the average of their correlation spectrum can suppress the false peaks and finally reduce the occurrence of larger errors. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated in laboratory for monitoring of sinusoidal vibrations and in field for tracking the bus movement via a dark fiber. T2 - 29th International Conference on Optical Fiber Sensors CY - Porto, Portugal DA - 26.05.2025 KW - Traffic monitoring KW - Coherent optical time domain reflectometry KW - Distributed fiber sensing KW - Polarization diversity detection PY - 2025 SN - 978-1-5106-9187-2 DO - https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3060889 VL - 13639 SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - SPIE AN - OPUS4-63258 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schubert, Sven A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Reichardt, Adrian A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Experiences with the implementation of ageing management for packages for transport of radioactive materials in Germany N2 - The consideration of ageing mechanisms is now obligatory for the design of transport packages with integration of the para 613A into IAEA SSR-6 (Rev. 1). In addition, para 809(f) of SSR-6 (Rev. 1) requires for packages intended to be used for shipment after storage the consideration of the effects of ageing mechanisms during storage in safety analyses and the implementation of corresponding instructions for operation and maintenance. Para 503(e) requires that these packages have been maintained during storage in a manner that all requirements specified in SSR-6 (Rev.1) and in the applicable certificates of approval have been fulfilled. The evaluation of ageing mechanisms and their effects including monitoring are part of BAM’s authority assessment tasks related to the mechanical and thermal package design and quality assurance aspects. BAM has compiled the guideline BAM-GGR 023 for the implementation of ageing assessment and related measures into the approval procedure. The implementation of ageing management measures is obligatory in case of extension/renewal of package design approval certificates. BAM has evaluated package designs which are used only for transport as well as package designs for long term interim storage. The assessment of ageing mechanisms associated with the identification of ageing effects on components is the main part of the ageing management plan (AMP). Different approaches regarding AMP structure are introduced. Experiences and approaches about the evaluation of components for the expected package operating time are shown. We are focusing the evaluations of proofs for not accessible and not replaceable components. Operational experiences for these package designs are available and should be considered in the ageing evaluation. Corresponding measures for package monitoring are to be derived based on these results. The measures for monitoring shall be fixed in the Ageing Surveillance Program (ASP) to maintain a specification conform package for the transport on public routes. We show exemplary how results from ageing evaluation during the approval procedure are transferred into the ASP. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas , US DA - 27.07.2025 KW - RAM KW - Ageing management KW - Radioactive material KW - Transport PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - INMM CY - Washington D.C. AN - OPUS4-63987 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Conclusions from the first return campaign of vitrified High-Level Waste on sea going vessels from the competent authority N2 - Germany has to take back vitrified waste from the reprocessing plants in France and Great Britain. The waste resulted from decades of transporting spent fuel for reprocessing to La Hague and Sellafield. The return campaign from France was concluded in 2024 with the transport of five CASTOR® HAW28M casks to the interim storage facility in Philippsburg in southern Germany. The return of waste from Sellafield comprises three campaigns and a total of 20 CASTOR® HAW28M casks. The first campaign was performed in 2020, consisting of six CASTOR® HAW28M casks, while the second campaign was performed in March 2025, consisting of seven CASTOR® HAW28M casks. The casks were transported by rail from Sellafield to the port in Barrow-in-Furness, where they were loaded into a dedicated seagoing vessel, certified as INF Class 3 according to the INF Code. This was the first time that vitrified high level waste with considerable heat load was transported under a German design approval certificate. The third campaign is expected to be performed during 2026. BAM as part of the German competent authority system was among others involved in the assessment of the sea transport. BAM required for the first transport, among others, an assessment of temperature distribution during transport, logging of temperatures of cargo bays and graphical imaging of temperatures of the bay with the cask to ensure compliance with temperature specifications, e.g. maximal neutron absorber and gasket temperatures. Special interest was taken in the identification of possible events exceeding the specified temperatures considering the different philosophies of the IMDG code and its supplement the INF code regarding temperature control of hatches. Results show compliance with assumed conditions. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - RAM KW - Transport KW - Radioactive material KW - Sea PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - INMM CY - Washington D.C. AN - OPUS4-63984 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Scheidemann, Robert A1 - Neumeyer, Tino A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Thightness Assessment of welded Lids for Encapsulations of damaged Spent Nuclear Fuel in the Design Approval Process of Dual-Purpose Casks (DPC) N2 - The disposal of spent nuclear fuel in Germany is ensured using dual-purpose casks (DPC) for transport and interim storage. The leak tightness of the DPC and resulting containment is one of the most important aspects. Additional encapsulations are required for damaged spent nuclear fuel (DSNF) to guarantee safe handling and a separate tight closure. Due to the general design of DPCs for standard fuel assemblies should special requirements be considered for the design of the encapsulations for DSNF to ensure the loading in existing package designs. The absence of a replaceable sealing in the tightness barrier is the main difference for the encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel. Instead, they are welded shut with a lid. The leak tightness of the encapsulation shall be proven in the design approval process for all transport conditions. This is especially valid for accident conditions of transport, where high internal impact forces may occur. BAM as German competent authority is responsible for the safety assessment of mechanical and thermal design, retention of radioactive material and quality assurance aspects of manufacturing and operation. BAM carried out a comprehensive safety assessment concerning the mechanical package design. As there are no representative standards for verifying the leak tightness of a welded lid, two approaches were being pursued. Established German standards may be used for verifying the leak tightness of a weld - but limited to low stresses. Therefore, physical tests were required for higher impact loads. Representative drop tests and highly sensitive leakage tests were performed. The paper presents an overview of the containment assessment by BAM and points out the main findings for the design of welds regarding leak tightness. Both verification procedures are described, on one hand with German standards for lower loads and on the other hand with physical tests for higher impact loads. The leak tightness of the encapsulation weld could be approved based on leakage tests and a corresponding evaluation for all transport conditions. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Transport packages KW - Tightness assessment KW - Welded lids KW - Encapsulations PY - 2025 VL - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) CY - Indianapolis AN - OPUS4-64023 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Guitton, Matthieu A1 - Chrupek, Thierry A1 - Leblanc, Vincent A1 - Van derTuijn, Jeroen A1 - Kaufhold, Dominik A1 - Kesting, Frederik A1 - Müller, Lars T1 - Multilateral approval of a SCO-III (three spent steam generator lower parts from EDF Fessenheim nuclear power plant) multimodal shipment N2 - A Surface Contaminated Object (SCO) is defined as a solid object which is not itself radioactive, but which has radioactive material distributed on its surfaces. The 2018 Edition of the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (SSR-6 Rev. 1) introduced the group SCO-III to transport unpackaged large objects. The two pressurized water reactors of the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant, owned by EDF, were shut down in 2020. Previously, for maintenance operations in the year 2002 and 2010, the three steam generators – over 20 metres long, 300 tons – of each reactor were taken out from the reactors, divided in two and stored on site: - EDF shipped the six upper parts, as SCO-I, to Cyclife, in Studsvik (Sweden), in 2021, to be recycled; - EDF plans two transports of the lower parts (three parts for each transport), as SCO-III (considering the higher activity due to the NPP primary coolant) to the same facility. Modes of transport are, from consignor to consignee, road, inland waterways and maritime. The countries crossed by inland waterways, from Neuf-Brisach to Dunkerque (France), are France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. According to the para. 825 of SSR-6 Rev. 1, “multilateral approval shall be required for the shipment of SCO-III”. EDF has submitted to all Competent Authorities an application (para. 827A of SSR-6 Rev. 1), including a transport plan and demonstrations to withstand normal conditions of transport. Despite SSR-6 Rev. 1, national regulations have their own specificities and each Competent Authority has its own assessment procedures. Nevertheless, involved Authorities agreed for a joint review, which included: - the understanding of national regulatory requirements, - the expected level of detail and quality of the safety case, - the feedback from previous shipments of similar type, - the contents, including the conditions, of the approvals to be issued. This joint review demonstrated good coordination between authorities, enabling the application to be processed rapidly, and the various authorities to benefit from each other's expertise and feedback. This was of particular importance, as it was the first application for the transport of an SCO-III assessed by the Competent Authorities involved. Finally, the authorities were able to issue approvals, whose format is certainly in line with their national provisions, but whose content and level of requirements in terms of transport safety are consistent. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Shipment KW - Multilateral approval KW - Steam generator KW - SCO-III PY - 2025 VL - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) CY - Indianapolis AN - OPUS4-64026 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Fire Retardancy Featuring Sustainability: Food for Thought between Fake Fiction and Future N2 - Sustainability, or in other words, exploiting resources under the terms of environmental conservation for the economic welfare and prosperity continuously over time, would revolutionise the plastics industry were it to become predominant practice as a linear, fossil-fuel–based economy is switched to a carbon circular economy. Food for though is given by dint of a critical overview of the current trends and mainly by sketching our own key projects performed in the field of sustainable flame-retardant polymeric materials in the recent years. T2 - Interflam 2025 CY - London, United Kingdom DA - 30.06.2025 KW - Biocomposites KW - Sustainability KW - Renewable KW - Bio wastefibres KW - Fire Behavior PY - 2025 VL - 1 SP - 187 EP - 190 PB - Interscience Communications Ltd AN - OPUS4-63681 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stanisavljevic, Mila A1 - Essel, S. A1 - Karbach, N. A1 - Zirzow, Johannes A1 - Hoffmann, T. A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. T1 - Performance Assessment of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Sensors for D rone Based Environmental Gas Monitoring N2 - This study evaluates the performance of methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) sensors mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for gas detection in open-field environments. Sensors were tested simultaneously during UAV flights over artificial gas sources, with wind data collected from two anemometers to understand plume dynamics. Field-deployed CH₄ sensors provided validation for the UAV-based measurements. The results demonstrate the sensors' effectiveness in gas detection. T2 - Sensor and Measurement Science International (SMSI) CY - Nuremberg, Germany DA - 06.05.2025 KW - UAV-based gas sensing KW - Sensor comparison KW - Methane and carbon dioxide detection PY - 2025 SN - 978-3-910600-06-5 DO - https://doi.org/10.5162/SMSI2025/B1.3 SP - 77 EP - 78 PB - AMA Service GmbH CY - Wunstorf AN - OPUS4-64038 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stührenberg, Jan A1 - Häusler, Felix S. A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Dragos, Kosmas A1 - Smarsly, Kay ED - Francis, A. ED - Miresco, E. ED - Melhado, S. T1 - Multi-Agent-Based Swarm Gas Source Localization Using Nano Aerial Robots N2 - Gas source localization (GSL) is crucial for mitigating the impact of industrial accidents and natural disasters, for example finding leaks in oil and gas facilities or survivors in collapsed environments. Traditional GSL methods involving human intervention may be hazardous and time-consuming. Utilizing swarms of agile and cost-effective nano aerial robots holds the potential to enhance the safety and efficiency of GSL operations. This study draws inspiration from biological swarms, particularly colonies of social insects, to coordinate and optimize the performance of nano aerial robotic swarms. While most existing swarm GSL strategies assume gas concentration maxima to be in close proximity to actual gas sources, recent research has highlighted the importance of “bouts” as a more precise indicator of gas source proximity, considering the intermittency of gas distributions. In this paper, a swarm GSL strategy is introduced that incorporates bouts as indicators of source proximity, complemented by a bio-inspired pheromone communication system. Specifically, nano aerial robots are deployed as autonomous agents. Upon detecting bouts, the agents emit pheromone markers in an artificial environment, mimicking social insects. Using the concept of artificial potential fields, the agents either exploit the search space by following pheromone gradients or explore the search space. The proposed swarm GSL strategy is implemented and validated in a real-world experiment, conducted in an indoor environment with a single gas source. The experimental results demonstrate the capability of the swarm GSL strategy to perform effectively in indoor environments and that the intermittency of gas distributions is a better source proximity indicator than the mean concentration. It is concluded that this research may provide a methodological basis for improving gas source localization techniques and enhancing disaster response capabilities. T2 - ICCCBE 2024 CY - Montreal, Canada DA - 25.08.2024 KW - Gas source localization KW - Nano aerial robots KW - Mobile robotic olfaction KW - Bouts KW - Swarm robotics PY - 2025 SN - 978-3-031-87363-8 SN - 978-3-031-87364-5 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-87364-5_28 SN - 2366-2557 VL - 2025 SP - 337 EP - 346 PB - Springer Nature Switzerland CY - Cham AN - OPUS4-63416 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gleim, Tobias ED - Monavari, Mehran ED - Bertovic, Marija ED - Wille, Frank T1 - AI-Based Documentation Analysis for Safety Assessment of Packages for Radioactive Material N2 - The transportation of radioactive material requires, dependent on type and quantity of the radioactive material, a regulatory approval based on the package type. Safety assessments shall be conducted in compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations and documented in a comprehensive package design safety report to obtain approval from authority. This comprehensive safety report evaluates a broad range of requirements from the regulations, including mechanical, thermal, shielding, criticality and transport requirements and controls, and testing assessments. Additionally, it encompasses supporting documents such as specifications, inspections, certifications, drawings, and guidelines in a variety of complex documents. Safety and manufacturing reports contain multiple interconnected sub-reports covering various topics. Changes, such as component modifications, material property updates, or regulatory revisions, often impact multiple sections of the safety analysis reports, making even minor adjustments complex and time-consuming. Each transport package has unique requirements to be fulfilled, making every safety report distinct, despite following the same regulatory framework. Most documentation exists in standard digital formats but is often not machine interpretable, preventing automated analysis of the critical dependencies between them. This paper argues that moving beyond simple digitization towards structured knowledge representation is essential for addressing these challenges. We propose a multi-stage approach, beginning with foundational AI technologies such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and progressing toward the construction of Knowledge Graphs (KGs). KGs convert unstructured and semi-structured information into a connected, queryable network, enabling precise tracing and visualization of complex interdependencies within the documentation landscape. By linking interpretable content directly to datasheets, tables, simulations, experimental results, standards, and regulations, such a system would automatically identify changes and interdependencies. Related conditions could be validated using AI-based tools, reducing the need for manual intervention, improving both efficiency and safety. Human error plays a significant role in drafting, reviewing, and revising safety reports, often requiring iterative review cycles and multiple reviewers before approval. A digital quality infrastructure could reduce iterations and further improve efficiency. Integrating AI into this process could optimize safety assessments and enhance their robustness by leveraging interpretability to enhance safety. This preliminary study explores the readiness and requirements for using intelligent documentation analysis system in the context of regulatory compliance for package safety for the transport of radioactive material. By analysing current documentation workflows, we identify how LLM-based tools can interpret complex safety reports and highlight critical interdependencies and then demonstrate why a KG-based architecture is necessary to robustly manage and query critical interdependencies. This lays the groundwork for future agentic AI systems capable of proactively supporting the safety assessment lifecycle, while stressing the importance of robust data governance and AI reliability in this highly regulated context. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - AI, RAG, LLM, Knowledge Graph PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) AN - OPUS4-63863 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Naster, Maximilian A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Experimental and numerical analyses of hydrogen flames for the thermal testing of transport packages for radioactive material N2 - In this paper we present an update of the hydrogen based test rig for an ongoing feasibility study of using hydrogen as an energy source for the thermal testing of transport packages containing radioactive materials [ The test rig is capable of combusting hydrogen for a wide range of different burner geometries, mass flows , hydrogen blends and single jet flame operation s as well as a full array of burners for thermal testing can be set up. As this type of fire test according to the IAEA boundary conditions does not yet exist, a large number of preliminary investigations, safety assessments and simulations must be carried out in order to develop a viable concept for hydrogen fires. In a first step of the feasibility study, the temperature , structure, and radiative behavior of hydrogen jet flames must be surveyed. The simulation with a single hydrogen flame was investigated in a previous work. In the next step the results are used to study the interaction and structural behavior of multiple jet flames in proximity with varying nozzle distances. With the test rig completed, it will be possible in future works to design burner frames suitable for fire reference tests to make comparisons with pool and propane fires used in assessment procedure today. Thus, preliminary comparative numerical simulations are conducted to model the behavior of overlapping hydrogen jet flames using the software package Ansys®. This paper gives an overview on the current state and design of the test rig. Furthermore, the results of the simulations show that nozzle geometry, mas s flow and nozzle distance provide significant design margin for designing a test fire capable of fully engulfing a specimen. T2 - PVP2025, Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Montreal, Quebec, Canada DA - 20.07.2025 KW - Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) KW - Fire testing KW - Hydrogen KW - IAEA PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-63864 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Affagard, Jean-Sebastien A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Louis, Baptiste A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Ledroit, Frédéric A1 - Létang, Eric T1 - Towards a simplifiedmodel of the delayed impact: numerical and experimental outlook N2 - The IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material No. SSR-6 require drop tests for demonstrating the ability of a package to withstand accident conditions of transport. In case a gap exists between the contents and the lid, it can result in a delayed impact of the content onto the lid system during a vertical drop test. The kinematic energy transmitted to the lid in such cases can be significant due to the stiffness of the impact, leading to high stresses in the bolts compared to a configuration without a gap. In the past, IRSN and BAM have individually investigated the modelling of the delayed impact phenomenon. BAM has examined the effects of the delayed impact phenomenon for spent fuel packages in a comparative analysis between experiments and simulations, which was presented at SMIRT 2013. Meanwhile, IRSN’s has developed a simple numerical tool that can quickly evaluate the influence of various parameters before considering a more complex finite element numerical calculation. This tool was presented at PATRAM 2022. In 2023, BAM and IRSN (now ASNR - French nuclear safety and radiation protection authority) decided to jointly pursue their study on the delayed impact phenomenon, incorporating damping effects, by developing new insights and techniques. To this end, a controlled and simplified set of experiments needs to be developed to calibrate and validate the simplified model. These experiments will record velocity, position of parts, strain and accelerations. The parameters and the configurations necessary for the development of the mock-up, as well as the placement and quantity of sensors, are determined through extensive pre-calculations using both complex finite element models and the simplified approach. A key challenge involves precisely controlling the drop of the mock-up to accurately replicate the theoretical contact and damping conditions. Advanced sensor technologies will be employed to acquire reliable and sufficient data. The tests are designed and conducted at BAM's TTS drop test facility in collaboration with ASNR. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Experiments KW - Impact KW - Drop Tower PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 11 CY - Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) AN - OPUS4-63870 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Musolff, André A1 - Werner, Jan A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Fire Test Stand for Thermal Testing of Large Packages for the Transport of Radioactive Materials N2 - Packages for the transport of high level radioactive materials are designed to withstand severe accidents. These packages must comply with the specific safety requirements SSR 6 [ of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To guarantee compliance with these requirements, specific mechanical and thermal tests need to be addressed r egard ing the package type. Typically, the r egulations prescribe mechanical tests followed by a thermal test as part of a cumulative test scenario. The thermal test is specified by the exposure of a test specimen for a period of 30 minutes to a thermal environment that provides a heat flux equivalent to that of a hydrocarbon fuel air fire with an av erage fire temperature of at least 800 °C fully flame engulfing the test specimen. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) operates various test facilities for this purpose at their Test Site for Technical Safety (near Berlin in Germany). Thermal tests for large packages are conducted in an established fire test stand that may be adapted by the test setup to the geometric boundary conditions of a test specimen. This fire test stand is built for test specimens with masses up to 200,000 kg an d geometric dimensions relating to large transport packages including their impact limiters. The test specimen is usually placed on a water cooled support frame in the middle of the test stand. The fire is realized by burning propane gas which is released in liquid state from an array of gas nozzles arranged in the form of a burner ring surrounding the test specimen. For particularly extra large test specimens, two burner rings are used on top of each other and at different heights to firstly achieve full f ire engulfment with a significantly larger volume of fire and secondly to achieve the required heat output , cf. In advance of a regular thermal test BAM usually performs so called fire reference tests to determine the test conditions for compliance with the IAEA requirements. These tests are performed using a generic package which corresponds to the external geometr ic dimensions of the test specimen used later in the approval test. Then, this reference package is exposed to a fire under defined test parameters whereas the corresponding heat input determined from the temperature changes measured is regarded as main cr iterion for proofing compliance with the IAEA criteria. The paper shows the experimental proof of the suitability of BAM’s fire test stand for thermal testing of extra large packages. The heat input and fire temperatures fully meet the IAEA criteria and can also be set significantly higher for example for extra regulatory testing. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - IAEA Regu-lations KW - Fire Test Stand KW - Accident Scenario KW - Fire Qualification PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 CY - Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) AN - OPUS4-63872 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Shipment of SCO-II – Authority assessment of mechanical aspects and quality management N2 - The decommissioning of nuclear facilities necessitates either the storage or disposal of large radioactive components such as steam generators, pressurizers, reactor pressure vessels and heads, or coolant pumps. These components or objects are large in size and mass with up to 6 meters in diameter and 20 meters in length and a weight of up to 400 tons. They are often transported to a storage, disposal, or recycling facility. Large components from nuclear facilities may often not be packed and need to be transported unpackaged due to size and weight. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - radioaktive Stoffe, Rückbau kerntechnischer Anlagen, Transport, Gefahrgut PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-63878 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Simbruner, Kai A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Analysis of Zirconium Hydride Structures in Spent Fuel Claddings Subjected to Storage Conditions N2 - Pre-storage drying and the early stage of storage can subject spent fuel claddings to higher temperatures and higher tensile hoop stresses than those associated with in-reactor operation. Under these conditions, existing circumferential hydrides in zirconium-based alloys can be partly reoriented into radial ones that may result in embrittlement of the cladding material. As a consequence, the failure limits may be reduced under mechanical loads caused by handling or during transport after storage. The potential occurrence of brittle fracture strongly depends on the specific location, size, and orientation of the zirconium hydrides. The morphology of such hydride structures was experimentally investigated in unirradiated, hydrogen-loaded samples made of a zirconium-based alloy. The hydrogen was introduced into the cladding sample by means of a cathodic charging process. The loading process was followed by a thermal treatment to precipitate the hydrides in the circumferential direction and then a thermomechanical treatment to reorient the hydrides in the radial direction. Metallographic methods were used to describe and classify the hydride morphology. The resulting metallographic micrographs were evaluated using suitable radial hydride metrics. The determination of the maximum length of a hydride structure was carried out in two different ways, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Both methods consider neighboring hydrides as continuous according to the definition of the Radial Hydride Continuity Factor (RHCF). The first option is to measure the Euclidean distance between the two most distant pixels of the hydride structure in the image analysis, whereby the actual maximum size of the hydride structure is determined. The second possibility is to measure the maximum size of a hydride or a hydride structure within a certain arc length in the radial direction of the cladding tube. This value is of particular interest because the ratio of the maximum radial size of a hydride structure to the wall thickness of the cladding tube is used for the safety assessment of spent fuel claddings with radial hydrides using the RHCF. T2 - 21st International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Extended Interim Storage KW - Nuclear Fuel Cladding KW - Zirconium Hydride Structure KW - Ring Compression Test KW - Micrograph Analysis PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 8 CY - Indianapolis, IN, USA AN - OPUS4-63875 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Popiela, Bartosz A1 - Schukar, Marcus A1 - Breithaupt, Mathias A1 - Günzel, Stephan A1 - Mair, Georg W. A1 - Krebber, Katerina A1 - Seidlitz, Holger T1 - Embedding of Fiber Optic Sensors Under Industrial Conditions and Distributed Strain Sensing in Type 4 Composite Pressure Vessels N2 - The number of in-operation composite pressure vessels is increasing, partly due to their attractiveness for on-board compressed gas storage and transport applications. A possible way to maintain the highest safety levels is through the structural health monitoring of the composite cylinders. Here, the use of fiber optic sensors appears to be a promising approach. However, the integration of the optical fibers into the composite structure of a pressure vessel has been shown to be challenging. In this study, insights on the embedding of optical fibers in the composite structure under industrial conditions are provided. A protection concept for the ingress and egress of the optical fibers is presented. Finally, the results from destructive slow burst tests are evaluated, showing no clear trend in the impact of the embedded optical fibers on the performance of composite pressure vessels. T2 - 24th International Conference on Composite Materials CY - Baltimore, Maryland, USA DA - 04.08.2025 KW - Composite KW - Pressure vessel KW - Filament winding KW - Fiber optic sensors PY - 2025 SP - 3710 EP - 3717 AN - OPUS4-63886 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kemmler, Samuel A1 - Cuéllar, Pablo A1 - Rettinger, C. A1 - Köstler, H. T1 - A Fluid-Solid Coupled Micromechanical Simulation for the Analysis of Piping Erosion During the Seabed Installation of a Suction Bucket Foundation N2 - Suction buckets are a promising concept for the foundations of offshore wind turbines. During the installation process of a suction bucket, localized fluidization of the granular soil, so-called piping erosion, may lead to installation failure. A 3D fluid-solid coupled micromechanical simulation is presented to study the occurrence of piping. An Euler-Lagrangian coupling employs momentum exchange between the fluid phase and the geometrically resolved particles. We investigate the behavior of the soil for three cases with varying prescribed suction velocities. We observe piping in the case with the highest suction velocity by analyzing the deformation of the granular fabric and monitoring the differential pressure. The grains under the bucket wall-tip show the highest hydraulic gradients and forces at the onset of piping. This approach permits a detailed analysis of piping phenomena and brings novel insights on the triggering conditions for piping failure of suction-aided foundations. T2 - TC 105 International Symposium CY - Grenoble, France DA - 23.09.2024 KW - Micromechanical simulation KW - Piping erosion KW - Suction bucket foundation PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-629461 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1480/1/012024 SN - 1755-1307 VL - 1480 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - IOP Publishing AN - OPUS4-62946 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Evaluation of Convective Heat Transfer Coefficients with CFD for Heat Flux Calculation in Combustion Chamber N2 - Packages for the transport of high-level radioactive waste are designed to withstand severe accidents. To obtain approval for transport, these packages must adhere to the specification-based criteria of regulations established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To ensure compliance with the regulations, mechanical and thermal tests need to be conducted regarding the package type. The requirements define mechanical tests followed by a thermal test, including criteria ensuring the package design’s ability to withstand severe accidents. Heavy-weight packages for the safe transport of radioactive materials are equipped with impact limiters, which are often built with porous materials such as densely packed wood reinforced by steel sheet structures. These components absorb the kinetic energy during the impact of the package in drop tests and thus dampen the acceleration of other package components which supports the package to meet the requirements of the IAEA regulations. Following the mechanical tests, the package must, with its predamaged impact limiters, endure a thermal test defined precisely in the IAEA regulations. The thermal test is defined as a 30-min, fully engulfing 800 °C fire and a following time under ambient conditions for a sufficient period to ensure that temperatures in the specimen decrease in all parts of the specimen. During and following the thermal test, the specimen shall not be artificially cooled, and any combustion of materials of the specimen shall be permitted to proceed naturally. A wood-filled impact limiter can continue to release thermal energy during an ongoing combustion process, thus defining relevant package temperatures. Heat flux from a potentially burning impact limiter to the package is important for the safety evaluation of transport packages. A test setup was developed to approach the energy flow investigation and examine the combustion behaviour of porous materials encapsulated in predamaged cylindrical metal enclosures under various conditions. The setup consists of a combustion chamber for thermal tests under adjustable and defined boundary conditions. The temperature development of the test specimens can be observed from outside using a thermographic imager with high-definition cameras, and the mass loss of the test specimen can be measured in the combustion chamber. Convective heat transfer coefficients for various boundary conditions must be defined for use with experimentally gathered test specimen surface temperature data for heat flux evaluations. The airflow conditions in the combustion chamber were analysed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations in OpenFOAM with respect to the convective heat transfer coefficients at the surface of a hot test specimen. A convergence study was performed, and sensitivity analyses for different test specimen surface temperatures and exhaust gas volume flows were conducted. T2 - ASME PVP2025, Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Montreal, Quebec, Canada DA - 20.07.2025 KW - Heat Transfer KW - Convection KW - OpenFOAM KW - Combustion PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - American society of mechanical engineers (ASME) AN - OPUS4-63901 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Musolff, Andre A1 - Werner, Jan A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - A fire test stand for thermal testing of extra-large packages N2 - Packages for the transport of high-level radioactive materials are designed to withstand severe accidents. These packages must adhere to the specification-based criteria of the International Transport Regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To ensure compliance with these requirements, specific mechanical and thermal tests need to be addressed with respect to the package type. Typically, the Regulations prescribe mechanical tests followed by a thermal test as part of a cumulative test scenario. The thermal test is specified by the exposure of a test specimen for a period of 30 minutes to a thermal invironment that provides a heat flux equivalent to that of a hydrocarbon fuel-air fire with an average fire temperature of at least 800 °C fully flame engulfing the test specimen. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) operates various test facilities for this purpose at their test site (TTS) near Berlin in Germany. Thermal tests for large packages are carried out in an established fire test stand that can be adapted by the test-setup to the geometric boundary conditions of a test specimen. This fire test stand is built for test specimens with masses up to 200,000 kg and geometric dimensions relating to large transport packages including their impact limiters. The test specimen is usually placed on a water-cooled support frame in the middle of the test-stand. The fire is realized by burning propane gas which is released in liquid state from an array of gas nozzles arranged in the form of a burner ring surrounding the test specimen. For particularly extra-large test specimens, two burner rings are used on top of each other and at different heights in order to firstly achieve full fire engulfment with a significantly larger volume of fire and secondly to achieve the required heat output. In advance of a regular thermal test BAM usually performs so-called fire reference tests to determine the test conditions for compliance with the IAEA requirements. These tests are performed using a generic package which corresponds to the external geometric dimensions of the test specimen used later in the approval test. Then, this reference package is exposed to a fire under defined test parameters whereas the corresponding heat input determined from the temperature changes measured is regarded as main criterion for proofing compliance with the IAEA criteria.The paper shows the experimental proof of the suitability of BAM’s fire test stand for thermal testing of extra-large packages. The heat input and fire temperatures fully meet the IAEA criteria but can also be set significantly higher for e.g. extra-regulatory testing. T2 - ASME PVP 2025 CY - Montreal, Quebec, Kanada DA - 20.07.2025 KW - Test stand KW - Thermal testing KW - Package KW - Fire PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 6 AN - OPUS4-63892 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chaudhuri, Somsubhro A1 - Purayil, Sruthi Krishna Kunji A1 - Kruse, Julius A1 - Madia, Mauro A1 - Nielsen, Sören T1 - Thermography-Assisted Mechanical Testing of Cold-Spray (AM) Repair N2 - Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) is a solid-state process that is being increasingly used for structural repairs in aerospace and energy sectors. It enables the deposition of dense material at low temperatures by accelerating metal particles to supersonic velocities, thereby reducing thermal distortion. However, the structural integrity of CSAM repairs—particularly at the interface between the deposited layer and the substrate—remains a critical concern. Various post-treatments and characterization methods have been explored to optimize performance. While X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) is effective for sub-surface inspection, it cannot be applied in situ during mechanical testing. Digital Image Correlation (DIC), a surface-based method, also lacks sub-surface sensitivity. To address this, Infrared Thermography (IRT) was employed alongside DIC during the tensile and fatigue testing of aluminum CSAM-repaired specimens. A cooled IRT camera operating at 200 FPS captured thermal data, with lock-in processing subsequently applied in post-processing. IRT successfully detected early interfacial damage and enabled the tracking of crack propagation, which was later confirmed through fracture surface analysis. This extended abstract presents findings from fatigue tests using IRT. T2 - 18th International Workshop on Advanced Infrared Technology and Applications (AITA 2025) CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 15.09.2025 KW - Thermography KW - Thermografie KW - Thermal stress analysis KW - Cold spray KW - Damage detection PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-642299 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2025129018 VL - 129 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-64229 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chaudhuri, Somsubhro A1 - Krankenhagen, Rainer A1 - Lapšanská, Ivana A1 - Stamm, Michael T1 - WTB-IRT: Modelling and Measurement of Thermal Contrast in Wind Turbine Rotor Blades (WTBs) N2 - The rapid growth of wind energy infrastructure over the past two to three decades has led to an urgent need for advanced non-destructive testing (NDT) methods—both for newly installed wind turbine blades (WTBs) and for ageing components nearing the end of their service life. Among emerging techniques, passive infrared thermography (IRT) offers a promising solution by enabling contactless, time-efficient inspection based on naturally occurring thermal variations. The effectiveness of passive IRT depends on the presence of sufficient thermal contrast to distinguish surface features, subsurface structures, and defects. To better understand the possibility of obtaining such contrast in composite structures such as WTBs, a controlled study was carried out on a blade section exposed to programmed temperature transients in a climate chamber. Infrared measurements were recorded, and the thermal behaviour of the specimen was simulated using finite element models (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics 6.3. Although direct validation is limited by measurement uncertainties and transient effects, the comparison provides insight into the capabilities and limitations of FEM in replicating real-world thermal behaviour. This paper focuses specifically on the challenges related to the modelling approach. T2 - 18th International Workshop on Advanced Infrared Technology and Applications (AITA 2025) CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 15.09.2025 KW - Thermography KW - Wind energy KW - Wind turbine rotor blades KW - Windenergie Anlage Rotorblätter KW - FEA PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-642308 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2025129015 VL - 129 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-64230 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -