TY - JOUR A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Droste, Bernhard A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Baden, M. T1 - German approach and feedback on experience of transportability of SNF packages after interim storage N2 - In Germany, the concept of dry interim storage of spent fuel in dual purpose metal casks is implemented, currently for periods of up to 40 years. The casks being used have an approved package design in accordance with the international transport regulations. The license for dry storage is granted on the German Atomic Energy Act with respect to the recently revised 'Guidelines for dry interim storage of irradiated fuel assemblies and heat-generating radioactive waste in casks' by the German Waste management Commission. For transport on public routes between or after long term interim storage periods, it has to be ensured that the transport and storage casks fulfil the specifications of the transport approval or other sufficient properties, which satisfy the proofs for the compliance of the safety objectives at that time. In recent years, the validation period of transport approval certificates for manufactured, loaded and stored packages were discussed among authorities and applicants. A case dependent system of 3, 5 and 10 years was established. There are consequences for the safety cases in the Package Design Safety Report, including evaluation of long term behaviour of components and specific operating procedures of the package. The present research and knowledge concerning the long term behaviour of transport and storage cask components have to be consulted as well as experiences from interim cask storage operations. Challenges in the safety assessment are e.g. the behaviour of aged metal and elastomeric gaskets under IAEA test conditions to ensure that the results of drop tests can be transferred to the compliance of the safety objectives at the time of transport after the interim storage period. Assessment methods for the material compatibility, the behaviour of fuel assemblies and the aging behaviour of shielding parts are issues as well. This paper describes the state of the art technology in Germany, explains recent experience on transport preparation after interim storage and points out arising prospective challenges. KW - Radioactive material storage KW - Dry storage KW - Interim storage KW - Cask design KW - Radioactive material transport KW - Regulation KW - Operating procedures KW - Package KW - Safety KW - Storage KW - Transport KW - Lagerung KW - Spent fuel PY - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1179/1746510914Y.0000000064 SN - 1746-5095 SN - 1746-5109 SN - 0957-476X VL - 25 IS - 2 SP - 55 EP - 59 PB - Ramtrans Publ. CY - Ashford AN - OPUS4-33834 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Update on the German approach of storing spent nuclear fuel in dual purpose casks until final disposal N2 - The German approach of storing spent nuclear fuel in dual purpose casks until final disposal is based on individually licensed storage sites concerning specific nuclear inventories and dual purpose cask types. The currently approved license period is maximum 40 years. With nuclear policy changes including the phase-out decision of 2011 and a new approach for the HLW repository siting process set up 2013 by law also the spent fuel and HLW management strategy has to be adapted. This includes the timely development of disposal container concepts as part of the overall repository siting process and the need for longer interim storage periods until final disposal. Other aspects affect new regulations about the financing of the nuclear waste management by the industry and the public sector, the restructuring of responsible authorities in 2016/2017 and the adaption of R&D funding programs addressing also pre-disposal (or extended interim storage) issues. BAM as a Federal Research Institute has been responsible for or in charge of container safety Evaluation for transport and storage casks for radioactive waste for several decades and started addressing potential Extended interim storage issues already several years ago. This included participation in international projects at the IAEA or in the U.S. Extended Storage Collaboration Program (ESCP) as well as long term laboratory tests with metal seals, elastomeric seals and polymers for neutron shielding purposes. Test results of BAM are published regularly and gained data provide valuable information about thermo-mechanical and radiological degradation effects as well as the long term Performance of respective cask components. Regarding the reliable extrapolation and prediction of the long term Performance of cask materials and components for time periods of up to 80 or even 100 years the continuation and extension of laboratory tests and the development of analytical and numerical simulation models and tools is essential and under way. T2 - 16th International High -Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) CY - Charlotte, NC, USA DA - 09.04.2017 KW - Spent fuel KW - Storage KW - Cask KW - Safety KW - Disposal PY - 2017 SP - 189 EP - 194 AN - OPUS4-40411 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Update on the German approach of storing spent nuclear fuel in dual purpose casks until final disposal N2 - The safe and secure long term storage of spent nuclear fuel until its final disposal in a deep geological repository is a corner stone of the German nuclear waste management strategy. So far interim storage licenses are limited to 40 years concerning the initial concept of having a repository available until 2035. But in the meantime the exploration of the designated Gorleben salt dome was finally stopped and a reset of the complete site selection process was concluded by the German Federal parliament and subsequently fixed by law. A 33-member “Commission on the storage of highly radioactive materials” was established in 2014, to elaborate a consent based siting process and to develop criteria for the safe disposal of heat generating waste. The disposal commission agreed and published its final report in 2016. As a major consequence, the necessary timeframe for establishing the final repository is going to be exceeded significantly and with that, an extension of the current dry interim storage in dual purpose casks becomes necessary. This paper explains the major actions to be taken in Germany to address all relevant issues for a future extension of storage licenses beyond the initial timeframe of 40 years. T2 - ANS Conference International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management (IHLRWM) 2017 CY - Charlotte, NC, USA DA - 09.04.2017 KW - Spent Fuel KW - Storage KW - Disposal PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-40303 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Orellana Pérez, Teresa A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Zencker, Uwe T1 - Cladding considerations at BAM regarding extended storage spent fuel N2 - With the clear expectation of the need for extending spent fuel storage in Germany beyond the initial license period of maximum 40 years additional material data and knowledge about the long term performance and integrity of casks and internals like fuel rods will be required to meet major safety goals and regulatory requirements. Based on a broad knowledge base about fuel cladding behavior, degradation mechanisms and related potential failure mechanisms, e. g. induced by reoriented Hydride precipitation, as illustrated in this paper, a specific gap analyses for the German situation regarding fuel conditions and cladding materials should identify the specific knowledge gaps to be addressed and closed in the near future. This is of specific interest as all spent fuel assemblies are going to be transferred to dry cask storage with the next decade and as a consequence of the German nuclear phase-out decision. Within several decades, BAM as a Federal materials research institute gathered a broad range of expertise in the safety evaluation of materials, components and casks under operational and accidental thermal and mechanical conditions. This paper elucidates selected Basic considerations regarding technical and scientific knowledge about the long term aging performance and potential failure mechanisms of fuel cladding materials. Under consideration of the national R&D funding policy which has been adapted to the extended interim storage or pre-disposal needs and the competences of BAM, its future R&D strategy is explained and some R&D objectives have already been identified. BAM will continue and expand ist engagement in the area of investigating fuel cladding material behavior in the long term and developing validated simulation and analyses tools in collaboration with national and international partners. R&D outcomes shall improve the knowledge-base to close identified knowledge gaps in the area of demonstrating fuel cladding integrity and to provide crucial information with regard to future safety assessments for the extended interim spent fuel storage. T2 - 16th International High -Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) CY - Charlotte, NC, USA DA - 09.04.2017 KW - Spent fuel KW - Storage KW - Fuel cladding PY - 2017 SP - 718 EP - 725 AN - OPUS4-40412 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Droste, Bernhard A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Baden, M. T1 - German approach and experience feedback of transport ability of SNF packages after interim storage N2 - In Germany the concept of dry interim storage of spent fuel in dual purpose metal casks is implemented, currently for periods of up to 40 years. The casks being used have an approved package design in accordance with the international transport regulations. The license for dry storage is granted on the German Atomic Energy Act with respect to the recently revised “Guidelines for dry interim storage of irradiated fuel assemblies and heat-generating radioactive waste in casks” by the German Waste management Commission (ESK). For transport on public routes between or after long term interim storage periods, it has to be ensured that the transport and storage casks fulfil the specifications of the transport approval or other sufficient properties which satisfy the proofs for the compliance of the safety objectives at that time. In recent years the validation period of transport approval certificates for manufactured, loaded and stored packages were discussed among authorities and applicants. A case dependant system of 3, 5 and 10 years was established. There are consequences for the safety cases in the Package Design Safety Report including evaluation of long term behavior of components and specific operating procedures of the package. Present research and knowledge concerning the long term behavior of transport and storage cask components have to be consulted as well as experiences from interim cask storage operations. Challenges in the safety assessment are e.g. the behavior of aged metal and elastomeric gaskets under IAEA test conditions to ensure that the results of drop tests can be transferred to the compliance of the safety objectives at the time of transport after the interim storage period. T2 - PATRAM 2013 - 17th International symposium on the packaging and transportation of radioactive materials CY - San Francisco, CA, USA DA - 18.08.2013 KW - Storage KW - Transport KW - Lagerung KW - Verpackung KW - Radioactive material PY - 2013 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Omnipress AN - OPUS4-30159 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Nagelschmidt, Sven A1 - Schulz, Sebastian T1 - Long term performance of metal seals for transport and storage casks N2 - Dual purpose casks for the transportation and storage of spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive materials require very high leak tightness of lid closure systems under accident conditions as well as in the long term to prevent activity release. For that purpose metal seals of specific types with an inner helical spring and outer metal liners are widely used and have shown their excellent performance if certain quality assurance requirements for fabrication and assembling are satisfied. Well defined surface roughness, clean and dry inert conditions are therefore essential. No seal failure in a loaded cask happened under these conditions until today. Nevertheless, the considered and licensed operation period is limited and all safety assessments have been performed and approved for this period of time which is 40 years in Germany so far. However, in the meantime longer storage periods might be necessary for the future and therefore additional material data will be required. BAM is involved in the qualification and evaluation procedures of those seals from the early beginning. Because long term tests are always time consuming BAM has early decided to perform additional tests with specific test seal configurations to gain a better understanding of the long term behaviour with regard to seal pressure force, leakage rate and useable resilience which is safety relevant mainly in case of accidental mechanical loads inside a storage facility or during a subsequent transport. Main test parameters are the material of the outer seal jacket (silver or aluminium) and the temperature. This paper presents the BAM test program including an innovative test mock-up and most recent test results. Based on these data extrapolation models to extended time periods are discussed, and also future plans to continue tests and to investigate seal behaviour for additional test parameters are explained. KW - Metal Seal KW - Spent Fuel KW - Storage KW - Ageing KW - Cask KW - Leak tightness PY - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1179/1746510914Y.0000000057 SN - 1746-5095 SN - 1746-5109 SN - 0957-476X VL - 25 IS - 1 SP - 8 EP - 15 PB - Ramtrans Publ. CY - Ashford AN - OPUS4-32327 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Spent Nuclear Fuel and HLW Storage towards Disposal - Challenges and Perspectives of an Integrated Approach - N2 - This paper describes and discusses the major challenges of spent fuel management in Germany after the phase-out of nuclear electricity generation was decided in 2011 and a new repository siting procedure was implemented in 2013. Consequences from those decisions which were legally founded by amendments of the German Atomic Energy Act (AtG) result in the need to transfer all remaining spent fuel from limited reactor operation (last reactor shutdown until the end of 2022) into casks for subsequent dry interim storage on-site. Storage licenses are generally issued site-specific considering specific dual purpose casks (DPC) and their inventories and they are generally limited to 40 years so far. But the need for extending the interim storage period in the future has become obvious. Even though, this may not be an issue to be solved already today questions about additional safety demonstrations will arise as soon as licenses need to be extended. Certainly, these questions will ask for reliable data about the long term performance and safety of structures, systems, and components, e. g. the long term performance of cask components and materials like bolted closure systems including metal seals, or fuel rod behaviour concerning cladding materials under stress and temperature conditions. In case of dual purpose casks for storage and transportation this includes aspects on how to demonstrate transportability during or after several decades of interim storage. Long term investigations often require plenty of time and therefore need to be initiated timely. T2 - PATRAM 2016 The 18th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Storage KW - Spent Fuel KW - Disposal PY - 2016 UR - http://www.patram2016.org/ SN - 978-4-88898-270-2 SP - Paper 5006 AN - OPUS4-40300 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Spent Nuclear Fuel and HLW Storage towards Disposal - Challenges and Perspectives of an Integrated Approach - N2 - This paper describes and discusses the major challenges of spent fuel management in Germany after the phase-out of nuclear electricity generation was decided in 2011 and a new repository siting procedure was implemented in 2013. Consequences from those decisions which were legally founded by amendments of the German Atomic Energy Act (AtG) result in the need to transfer all remaining spent fuel from limited reactor operation (last reactor shutdown until the end of 2022) into casks for subsequent dry interim storage on-site. Storage licenses are generally issued site-specific considering specific dual purpose casks (DPC) and their inventories and they are generally limited to 40 years so far. But the need for extending the interim storage period in the future has become obvious. Even though, this may not be an issue to be solved already today questions about additional safety demonstrations will arise as soon as licenses need to be extended. Certainly, these questions will ask for reliable data about the long term performance and safety of structures, systems, and components, e. g. the long term performance of cask components and materials like bolted closure systems including metal seals, or fuel rod behaviour concerning cladding materials under stress and temperature conditions. In case of dual purpose casks for storage and transportation this includes aspects on how to demonstrate transportability during or after several decades of interim storage. Long term investigations often require plenty of time and therefore need to be initiated timely. T2 - PATRAM 2016 The 18th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Storage KW - Spent Fuel KW - Disposal PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-40301 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -