TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias T1 - Overview of metal seal tests performed at BAM and implications for extended interim storage N2 - The investigation of the long-term performance of sealing systems employed in containers for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel is one research focus area for division 3.4 “Safety of Storage Containers” at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung. The behaviour of metallic seals, which are employed in interim storage casks for used fuel and high active waste, over time is of high importance for ensuring safe enclosure. Therefore, investigations on these systems were started at BAM to get a general understanding of the relevant processes. Our investigations comprise investigations on different parameters which influence the seal performance and the main part is focussed on the time and temperature dependent behaviour. In this contribution an overview of the performed tests and their respective results will be given. A focus will lie on a comparison between seals with large torus diameter in comparison to small diameters. Our aim is to understand the long-term behaviour of the sealing systems for evaluation of their performance during possible extended interim storage and subsequent transportation. T2 - 4th Workshop on Safety of Extended Dry Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel CY - Online meeting DA - 03.06.2020 KW - Seal performance KW - Metal seal KW - Leakage rate PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-50843 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias T1 - Elastomer seals - overview and development N2 - The talk summarizes the current and future investigations of elastomer seal materials in division 3.4. T2 - IRSN-BAM Symposium Safety of Transport and Storage Packages CY - Online meeting DA - 19.11.2020 KW - Seal KW - Degradation KW - Ageing PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51751 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias T1 - Aging investigations of metal seals used in containers for interim storage of spent fuel N2 - In Germany dual purpose containers with double lid systems are used for the transport and storage of spent fuel and high level radioactive waste. The bolted lids are equipped with metal seals (e.g. Helicoflex®) to ensure the safe enclosure of the inventory for the required time period. The used metal seals have a layered structure consisting of three components. In the center a helical spring is positioned that is surrounded by two C-shaped jackets. The helical spring is mainly responsible for generation of the required restoring force. The inner jacket is made of stainless steel and homogenizes the restoring force generated by the helical spring. The outer jacket is made of silver or aluminum. Both metals are soft in comparison to the contact partners (lid and container body). During bolting of the lid the seal is compressed between lid and container body. The generated restoring force of the helical spring causes a plastic deformation of the outer jacket which adapts to the surfaces of the lid and the container body. Hence, leakage paths are closed and the sealing function is caused. Typical durations for existing interim storage licenses in Germany are 40 years, but due to the challenges in selection and construction of a final repository it can be expected that they have to be extended to longer periods. An extension of license periods requires knowledge of the long-term behavior of the seals. To meet this challenge long-term investigations have been started at Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) in 2009. These tests focus on seals assembled in test flanges which are stored at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 150 °C for accelerated aging. The aged seals are tested repeatedly after certain aging steps and the performance is evaluated in respect to the leakage rate, the remaining seal force, and the useable resilience upon decompression. In this contribution an update on the running investigations in respect to earlier publications (Grelle et al. 2019, Goral et al. 2023) will be given and the implications of the results for resilient long-term safety will be presented. New activities will be addressed and their expected outcome be discussed. T2 - PVP2024, Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Bellevue, WA, USA DA - 29.07.2024 KW - Metal seal KW - Aging KW - Interim storage PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61355 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias T1 - Low temperature properties of rubber seals N2 - Understanding the failure mechanisms that lead to leakage of rubber seals at low temperatures is important. Rubber properties are highly temperature dependent. Changes in behaviour at low temperatures can result from the rubber-glass transition and for some rubbers by partial crystallisation. Experimental results on the low temperature behaviour of different rubber seals were discussed to help understand seal failure processes. T2 - Rubber in Engineering Group (RIEG) webinar an Elastomers at Low Temperatures CY - Online meeting DA - 11.09.2020 KW - Low temperature KW - Rubber seal KW - Compression set KW - Glass transition PY - 2020 UR - https://www.iom3.org/rubber-engineering-group/event/elastomers-low-temperatures AN - OPUS4-51306 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias T1 - Investigations of Aged Metal Seals for Interim Storage N2 - The storage of spent fuel and high level radioactive waste in Germany is performed in interim storage containers with double lid systems. The lids are bolted and equipped with metal seals (e.g. Helicoflex®) to ensure the safe enclosure of the inventory. The used metal seals have a layered structure consisting of three components as can be seen schematically in the cross-sectional view in Fig. 1. In the center a helical spring is positioned that is surrounded by two C-shaped jackets and is mainly responsible for generation of the required restoring force. The inner jacket is made of stainless steel and homogenizes the restoring force of the helical spring. The outer jacket is made of silver or aluminium which both are soft metals in comparison to the contact partners (lid and container body). During bolting of the lid to the container body the seal is compressed. The generated restoring force of the helical spring causes a plastic deformation of the outer jacket and adapts to the surfaces of the lid and the container body. Hence, leakage paths are closed and the sealing function is generated. Typical durations for existing interim storage licenses in Germany are 40 years, but it can be expected that they have to be extended to longer periods as a final repository will not be available before the end of the running licence periods. This extension of license periods requires a solid understanding of the long-term behaviour of the seals under storage conditions. To meet this challenge long-term investigations have been started at Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) in 2009. These tests focus on seals assembled in test flanges which are stored at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 150 °C for accelerated ageing. The aged seals are tested repeatedly after certain ageing steps and the leakage rate as indicator for sealing performance, the remaining seal force, and the useable resilience upon decompression are determined. In the poster an update on the performed investigations in respect to earlier publications (Grelle et al. 2019, Goral et al. 2023) will be given and the implications of the results for resilient long term safety will be presented. Additionally, a focus will be laid on the currently planned further investigations and the question “What is additionally needed for evaluation of an interim storage period extension in regard to the used metal seals?” will be addressed. T2 - safeND2023: Forschungssymposium des BASE CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 13.09.2023 KW - Metal seal KW - Interim storage KW - Ageing PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58568 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Goral, Milan A1 - Sagradov, Ilja A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Aging investigations of metal seals used in containers for interim storage of spent fuel N2 - For bolted casks for used fuel and high level waste the sealing system has an important impact of ensuring safe enclosure of the inventory The used metal seals show some changes over time which have been addressed for nearly 15 years in running experiments at BAM The observed changes are temperature de pendent and therefore it is expected that test s at higher temperature allow for an acceleration of the effects and ideally the proposal of an ageing model covering the expected time of use . Nevertheless, questions concerning the influence of the experimental approach on the results and effects taking place at the initial days of ageing remain. To address these a new project was launched to give a better understanding of the seal behavior. T2 - PVP2024, Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Bellevue, WA, USA DA - 29.07.2024 KW - Metal seal KW - Aging KW - Interim storage PY - 2024 SN - 978-0-7918-8851-3 SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - ASME AN - OPUS4-61357 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Goral, Milan A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger ED - Krüssenberg, A. T1 - Overview of metal seal tests performed at BAM and implications for extended interim storage N2 - The investigation of the long-term performance of sealing systems employed in containers of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel is one research focus area for division 3.4 \Safety of Storage Containers" at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung. The behaviour of metallic seals, which are employed in interim storage casks for spent nuclear fuel and high active waste, over time is of high importance for ensuring safe enclosure. Therefore, investigations on these systems were started at BAM to get a general understanding of the relevant processes. Our investigations comprise investigations on different parameters which influence the seal Performance and the main part is focussed on the time and temperature dependent behaviour. Our aim is to understand the longterm behaviour of the sealing systems for evaluation of their performance during possible extended interim storage and subsequent transportation. In this contribution an overview of the performed tests and their respective results is given. A focus lies on a comparison between seals with large torus diameter in comparison to small diameters. T2 - Safety of Extended Dry Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel SEDS2020: International online-workshop CY - Online meeting DA - 03.06.2020 KW - Metal seal KW - Seal performance KW - Long-term investigation KW - Ageing PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.3139/124.200071 SN - 0932-3902 VL - 85 IS - 6 SP - 440 EP - 443 PB - Carl Hanser Verlag CY - München AN - OPUS4-51833 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Komann, Steffen 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 - Transport KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Rückbau kerntechnischer Anlagen KW - Gefahrgut PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63877 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Komann, Steffen T1 - Ageing management measures for transport packages for radioactive materials N2 - The consideration of ageing mechanisms is with integration into the IAEA-requirements now obligatory for the design of transport packages. 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 are required. Therefore, these packages have been maintained during storage in a manner that all requirements specified in the IAEA-requirements and in the applicable certificates of approval have been fulfilled. BAM is the competent authority in Germany for evaluating the thermal and mechanical design of packages for the transport of radioactive materials. In this context, BAM also evaluates the aging mechanisms and aging effects occurring during the long-term storage period of such transport packages. BAM has developed a guideline for the implementation of ageing assessment and of the measures for ageing management into the approval procedure based on IAEA-requirements. The goal of the presented paper is to introduce this guideline and the general approach for ageing management requirements and to describe the application to a specific package design. The type and amount of the ageing management not only depend on the use of the packaging, but also on the accessibility of the components that are considered in the ageing assessment. The different operating phases of a packaging are considered for the ageing assessment, such as loading, interim storage or transport. The implementation of measures for ageing management is divided into three levels – systemic measures, package design related measures and documentation. The systemic measures are attributed to the general management system and define the whole activities for organization of ageing management like structure, responsibilities, documentation, reports and evaluation. The package design related measures are defined in an ageing management plan (AMP). Therefore, an ageing surveillance program (ASP) and, if necessary, a gap analysis program has to be developed. The ageing management documentation (AMD) ensures the continuous documentation of the compliance of a specific package to the approved package design, comprising mainly records resulting from operation and surveillance. T2 - PVP2023-Pressure, Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Atlanta, GA, USA DA - 16.07.2023 KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Transport KW - Gefahrgut PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58003 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Scheidemann, Robert A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Mechanical and thermal assessment by BAM of a new package design for the transport of SNF from a german research reactor N2 - For disposal of the research reactor of the Technical University Munich FRM II a new transport and storage cask design was under approval assessment by the German authorities on the basis of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requirements. The cask body is made of ductile cast iron and closed by two bolted lid systems with metal seals. The material of the lids is stainless steel. On each end of the cask the wood-filled impact limiters are installed to reduce impact loads to the cask under drop test conditions. In the cavity of the cask a basket for five spent fuel elements is arranged. This design has been assessed by the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) in view to the mechanical and thermal safety analyses, the activity release approaches, and subjects of quality assurance and surveillance for manufacturing and operation of the package. For the mechanical safety analyses of the package a combination of experimental testing and analytical/numerical calculations were applied. In total, four drop tests were carried out at the BAM large drop test facility. Two tests were carried out as a full IAEA drop test sequence consisting of a 9m drop test onto an unyielding target and a 1m puncture bar drop test. The other two drop tests were performed as single 9m drop tests and completed by additional analyses for considering the effects of an IAEA drop test sequence. The main objectives of the drop tests were the investigation of the integrity of the package and its safety against release of radioactive material as well as the test of the fastening system of the impact limiters. Furthermore, the acceleration and strain signals measured during the tests were used for the verification of finite-element (FE) models applied in the safety analysis of the package design. T2 - Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference 2020 CY - Online meeting DA - 03.08.2020 KW - Mechanik KW - radioaktives Material KW - Transportbehälter KW - Antragsverfahren KW - Zulassungen KW - Typ-B Versandstück KW - Thermik PY - 2020 VL - 2020 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - ASME CY - New York AN - OPUS4-51103 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Reiche, Ingo A1 - Ramsay, J. T1 - New SCO-iii regulations to ship large comonents as surface contaminated objects N2 - The decommissioning or refurbishment of nuclear facilities necessitates either the storage or disposal of large radioactive components such as steam generators, pressurizers, reactor pressure vessels and heads, and coolant pumps, to list the major contributors. These components or objects are large in size and mass, measuring up to approximately 6 meters in diameter, up to 20 meters in length, and weighing over 400 000 kg. In many situations, the components are transported off-site to a storage, disposal or recycling/treatment facility. Previously, many large objects had to be transported under special arrangement. T2 - PATRAM22 CY - Juan les Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Gefahrgut KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Rückbau kerntechnischer Anlagen KW - Transport PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-57750 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 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Ramsay, Jeff A1 - Reiche, Ingo T1 - Transport of large nuclear power plant components – new SCO-III regulations and mechanical design assessment N2 - The decommissioning or refurbishment of nuclear facilities necessitates either the storage or disposal of large radioactive components such as steam generators, pressurizers, reactor pressure vessels and heads, and coolant pumps, to list the major contributors. These components or objects are large in size and mass, measuring up to approximately 6 meters in diameter, up to 20 meters in length, and weighing over 400 000 kg. In many situations, the components are transported off-site to a storage, disposal or recycling/treatment facility. Previously, many large objects had to be transported under special arrangement. The latest 2018 edition of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, No. SSR-6, incorporates regulations for the shipment of contaminated, but not activated large objects as a new category of surface contaminated object, SCO-III, based on the IAEA “performance package” concept. This paper provides background and practical guidance on these regulations. Additionally, first experiences with SCO-III in the approval process are presented. For SCO-III components a mechanical assessment regarding the tests specified in the transport regulations SSR-6 for demonstrating ability to withstand normal conditions of transport is required - a free drop of the package onto an unyielding target and a penetration test have to be investigated. Large components are unique objects; therefore, it is not possible to choose experimental testing as assessment method. The application of a complex numerical analysis for mechanical proof is necessary. The assessment of the loads takes place based on local stress distributions. The large nuclear components have typically been transported in an unpackaged manner, so that the external shell of the component provides the containment wall. The paper will represent the methods, which are used for the evaluation of the mechanical integrity of the object for transport approval. T2 - PVP2024, Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Bellevue, Washington USA DA - 29.07.2024 KW - Transport KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Rückbau kerntechnischer Anlagen KW - Gefahrgut PY - 2024 SN - 978-0-7918-8851-3 SP - 1 EP - 4 AN - OPUS4-60829 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kömmling, Anja T1 - Experiences and perspectives for the design evaluation of Konrad containers N2 - The former iron ore mine Konrad near Salzgitter is the approved final repository for radioactive waste with negligible heat production in Germany and should go into operation in the 2030s. The waste comes from operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants, as well as from medicine, research and industry using radiation sources or radioactive materials. These types of waste are comparable to international low- and certain types of intermediate-level waste. The waste includes a large variety of products, materials and properties. The containers for such waste have the primary purpose of enabling handling and storing of the waste by safely enclosing the radioactive inventory and shielding of radiation. Due to the large variety of waste forms to be disposed of in the Konrad repository, different container types are specified to account for the different requirements related to each waste type. Each container design for waste disposal in Konrad has to be approved by BGE on the basis of the “final disposal conditions” (Endlagerungsbedingungen) and the respective “product control” (Produktkontrolle). For demonstrating the container’s compliance with the regulatory framework, the waste producers or container manufacturers have to apply for design approval on the basis of a comprehensive safety assessment including all relevant reports about analytical, numerical and experimental safety demonstrations and quality assurance measures for container manufacturing and operation. Usually, BGE commissions independent experts like BAM to evaluate these documents and the design testing (e.g. drop or fire tests). While the basic assessment principle is to verify the container design and quality to be in line with all regulatory requirements, there are often challenges associated with the container’s safety evaluation. As containers of different types have already been produced in large numbers and partially loaded with waste before the regulatory framework became effective (so-called “old” containers), they are considered in the regulations as well and safety assessments have to be provided in an equivalent way. As the requirements for the documentation of manufacturing quality were not yet known at the time these containers were manufactured, this is often challenging in practice. On the other hand, containers requiring the highest safety level (ABK II, sf) due to their nuclear content sometimes cause significant challenges and very long approval processes concerning safety demonstrations for severe accidental conditions like a 5 m drop without impact limiter onto a nearly unyielding target or a one hour 800 °C fire scenario. Furthermore, as the regulatory framework has not been updated for several decades, some requirements and the respective safety assessment methods have to be interpreted under consideration of the current state of knowledge in science and technology. T2 - safeND conference 2025 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 17.09.2025 KW - Radioactive waste KW - Final disposal KW - Waste container KW - Design evaluation PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64989 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kömmling, Anja T1 - Analysis of O-ring seal failure in the context of radioactive waste containers N2 - At BAM, which is a federal institute for materials research and testing in Germany, it is one of our tasks to evaluate the safety of casks designed for transport and/or storage of radioactive material. This includes assessment of elastomeric seals applied in the casks. Besides examining the low-temperature behaviour and irradiation effects of elastomeric seals, it is our goal to estimate the service lifetime of the seals with regard to the requirements for long-term safety (40 years and more) of the containers. Therefore, we started an accelerated ageing programme with selected rubbers often used for seals (HNBR, EPDM and FKM) which are aged at four different temperatures (75 °C, 100 °C, 125 °C and 150 °C) up to five years. In order to assess sealability, O-rings were aged in compression by 25 % (corresponding to the compression during service) between plates as well as in flanges that allow leakage rate measurements. For comparison, uncompressed O-rings were aged as well. Further methods characterising seal performance are compression stress relaxation (CSR) reflecting the loss of sealing force of a compressed seal over time, and compression set (CS) which represents the recovery behaviour of a seal after release from compression. Additionally, material properties such as hardness, elastic modulus, glass transition temperature and viscoelastic loss factor as well as relaxation and recovery behaviour are examined in order to understand the underlying ageing mechanisms in each material. For obtaining results closely related to practical conditions, O-rings with a full-scale cord diameter of 10 mm were aged. However, this set-up can lead to heterogeneous aging caused by diffusion-limited oxidation (DLO) effects, resulting in distorted bulk properties such as compression stress relaxation and compression set. However, if DLO-affected data is excluded, extrapolations of CS data are possible using time-temperature shifts and Arrhenius graphs. For selecting an appropriate end-of-lifetime criterion, leakage rate measurements were performed, since leakage rate is the only characteristic directly correlated to the performance of the sealing system. A significant increase in leakage rate was considered as the end of the lifetime. However, the O-rings remained leak tight under static conditions and even exhibited an improved, i.e. decreased leakage rate while other properties already indicated strong deterioration. These tests were extended by seal tests with fast partial decompression. Overall an update will be given on the current investigations and results and the planned activities. T2 - Kautschuk Herbst Kolloquium 2022 CY - Online meeting DA - 08.11.2022 KW - Seal KW - Ageing KW - Compression set PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56397 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kömmling, Anja T1 - Aging of elastomer O-rings and PE neutron shielding materials for radioactive waste containers N2 - Our institution BAM in Berlin, Germany is concerned with research and testing of materials in the context of safety in chemistry and technology. Our working group is involved in the licensing procedures of casks for radioactive waste. Besides, we’re doing research on aging and lifetime prediction of elastomer O-rings and investigate degradation and thermal expansion of PE neutron shielding materials. T2 - Polymers in nuclear applications CY - Online meeting DA - 01.12.2021 KW - Rubber KW - Polyethylene KW - Thermal expansion KW - Lifetime KW - Degradation PY - 2021 UR - https://energiforsk.se/media/30631/bam_material_aging_analysis.pdf AN - OPUS4-54191 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Goral, Milan A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Three-dimensional thermal expansion of neat and irradiated (U)HMWPE materials at elevated temperatures N2 - The thermal expansion of polymeric parts can be an issue in many applications where the available space is limited, or exact dimensions of the part are required. For this study, a device was designed and built that allowed measuring the thermal expansion simultaneously in all three spatial directions on cubic samples with real-scale dimensions (78 mm edge length). The results are shown between 25 °C and 125 °C for two PE materials, one HMWPE and one tempered UHMWPE, for non-irradiated samples as well as cubes that have been irradiated with 100 and 400 kGy. The results measured with the new device were very similar to those measured with conventional thermo-mechanical analysis equipment and to literature data of UHMWPE. The HMWPE material shows a much larger thermal expansion coefficient in one direction compared to the other two directions during the first heating due to frozen stresses from the pressing step during material manufacturing. These stresses are mostly released by the expansion during the first heating, so that the expansion during the second heating is more uniform. The overall volumetric expansion is the same for both heating runs. By contrast, the tempered UHMWPE material shows no significant difference between first and second heating run, as the stresses from processing could already relax in the tempering step. The irradiation treatment does not affect the values significantly for the given test set-up. KW - Lupolen KW - Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene KW - GUR KW - Coefficient of thermal expansion KW - High temperature PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-563987 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2022.107841 SN - 0142-9418 VL - 117 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-56398 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Goral, Milan A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Insights for lifetime predictions of O-ring seals from five-year long-term aging tests N2 - O-rings made of HNBR, EPDM and FKM were aged in the compressed and uncompressed state at 150 °C, 125 °C, 100 °C, 75 °C, 60 °C and 23 °C for aging times of up to five years. Hardness was measured and increased with aging time and temperature for HNBR and EPDM, but it remained practically constant for FKM. Indenter modulus measurements were performed on the lateral O-ring surface (that was free of DLO effects) to assess an influence of the compression during aging, but none was detected. The equilibrium compression set (CS) exhibited faster and stronger degradation than hardness and was used for lifetime predictions using the time-temperature superposition (TTS) principle. With an end-of-lifetime criterion of 70 % CS, lifetimes of 4.5 years, 50 years and 526 years at 75 °C were estimated for HNBR, EPDM and FKM, respectively. The activation energies derived from an Arrhenius plot of the shift factors from the TTS were 85 kJ/mol, 99 kJ/mol and 78 kJ/mol for HNBR, EPDM and FKM, respectively, revealing that a higher activation energy does not necessarily mean that the material has a higher lifetime at lower temperatures. Furthermore, the measured lifetime of EPDM O-rings at 100 °C (5 years) was compared to that predicted on the basis of the lifetime at 150 °C as well as 125 °C using the corresponding shift factors. The error of the prediction was only ± 4 %. However, this precise prediction could only be achieved using the five-year long-term aging data. When using only data from aging times up to 0.5 years and 2 years, the lifetime of EPDM O-rings at 100 °C was underestimated by 31 % and 22 %, respectively. KW - HNBR KW - EPDM KW - FKM KW - DLO KW - Hardness KW - Compression set KW - Rubber KW - Elastomer KW - Degradation PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2020.109278 VL - 179 SP - 109278 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-51060 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad T1 - Prestressed bolt connections under lateral displacements N2 - The containment system of transport packages for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste usually includes bolted lids with metal gaskets. The specified transport condition imply high loading on the lids and the bolt connections of the package. The response of the lid systems on these load conditions is generally investigated by drop tests or numerically. BAM has started a research project to get a better understanding about the behavior of prestressed bolt connection under loadings typical for drop tests. T2 - IRSN-BAM Symposium Safety of Transport and Storage Packages CY - Online meeting DA - 19.11.2020 KW - Transport packages KW - Pprestressed bolt connection KW - Experimental investigation KW - Finite element method PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51697 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad T1 - Prestressed bolt connections under lateral displacements N2 - The containment system of transport packages for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste usually includes bolted lids with metal gaskets. The specified transport condition imply high loading on the lids and the bolt connections of the package. The response of the lid systems on these load conditions is generally investigated by drop tests or numerically. BAM has started a research project to get a better understanding about the behavior of prestressed bolt connection under loadings typical for drop tests. T2 - BAM-IRSN-Workshop 2021 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 08.09.2021 KW - Transport packages KW - Bolt connections KW - Finite element analysis KW - Experimental investigation PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53251 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad T1 - Experimental and numerical investigation of prestressed bolt connections under lateral displacements N2 - The containment system of transport packages for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste usually includes bolted lids with metal gaskets. The packages are assessed to specific transport conditions which are specified in the IAEA safety standards SSR-6 (IAEA 2018). These transport conditions, especially the so-called accident conditions of transport, imply high dynamic loading on the lids and the bolt connections of the package. The response of the lid systems on the mechanical accident conditions is generally investigated by experimental drop tests or numerically, e.g., by finite element analyses. The interpretation of the drop test results for the verification of the numerical models is often not obvious due to the complex superposition of different effects in the real tests. BAM has started a research project to get a better understanding about the behavior of prestressed bolt connections under loadings typical for these drop tests. In this context an experimental test set-up was developed to investigate the response of a single bolt connection under a prescribed lateral displacement of clamped parts. The bolt is instrumented by strain gauges to get the pretensional, the torsional and the bending stress in the bolt shank. Furthermore, the lateral movement and the tilt of the bolt head is measured during the test. A finite element model of the test set-up has been created in Abaqus FEA (Simulia 2021). The very detailed instrumentation of the test set-up shall give the opportunity to investigate and validate the numerical model. The aim of this paper is to give an overview about the proposed research project and to present first results. T2 - SMIRT26 - 26th International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 10.07.2022 KW - Transport packages KW - Bolt connections KW - Finite element analysis KW - Experimental investigation PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55426 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Reiche, I. A1 - Ramsay, J. T1 - New Sco-III regulations to ship large objects as surface contaminated objects N2 - The decommissioning or refurbishment of nuclear facilities necessitates either the storage or disposal of large radioactive components such as steam generators, pressurizers, reactor pressure vessels and heads, and coolant pumps, to list the major contributors. These components or objects are large in size and mass, measuring up to approximately 6 meters in diameter, up to 20 meters in length, and weighing over 400 000 kg. In many situations, the components are transported off-site to a storage, disposal or recycling/treatment facility. Previously, many large objects had to be transported under special arrangement. The latest 2018 edition of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, No. SSR-6 [1], incorporates regulations for the shipment of large objects as a new category of surface contaminated object, SCO-III, based on the IAEA “performance package” concept. This paper provides background and practical guidance on these regulations. Additionally, the experiences of BAM with the appoval of two steam converters of the NPP Lingen are presented as the first approval process for SCO-III objects in Germany. The primary additions to SSR-6 include SCO-III classification and requirements, approval and administrative requirements for the new classification, and the addition of SCO-III to the proper shipping name for UN 2913. Advisory material drafted for the new requirements will be included in the next revision of SSG-26, Advisory Material for the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, expected to be published soon. Note that at this time the proposed provisions for large objects do not include components such as reactor vessels, due to the more limited experience and greater radioactivity levels. The SCO-III concept lays the groundwork and may be extended to cover other large objects that are classified as low specific activity (LSA) material in the future. T2 - Kerntechnik 2022 CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 21.06.2022 KW - Transport packages KW - Radioactive materials KW - SCO-III KW - Large objects PY - 2022 SP - 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-55423 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Sterthaus, Jens A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor T1 - Experimental and numerical investigation of prestressed bolt connections under lateral displacements N2 - The containment system of transport packages for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste usually includes bolted lids with metal gaskets. The packages are assessed to specific transport conditions which are specified in the IAEA safety standards SSR-6 (IAEA 2018). These transport conditions, especially the so-called accident conditions of transport, imply high dynamic loading on the lids and the bolt connections of the package. The response of the lid systems on the mechanical accident conditions is generally investigated by experimental drop tests or numerically, e.g., by finite element analyses. The interpretation of the drop test results for the verification of the numerical models is often not obvious due to the complex superposition of different effects in the real tests. BAM has started a research project to get a better understanding about the behavior of prestressed bolt connections under loadings typical for these drop tests. In this context an experimental test set-up was developed to investigate the response of a single bolt connection under a prescribed lateral displacement of clamped parts. The bolt is instrumented by strain gauges to get the pretensional, the torsional and the bending stress in the bolt shank. Furthermore, the lateral movement and the tilt of the bolt head is measured during the test. A finite element model of the test set-up has been created in Abaqus FEA (Simulia 2021). The very detailed instrumentation of the test set-up shall give the opportunity to investigate and validate the numerical model. The aim of this paper is to give an overview about the proposed research project and to present first results. T2 - SMIRT 26 (26th conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology) CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 10.07.2022 KW - Bolt connections KW - Finite element anaylsis KW - Experimental testing KW - Transport package for radioactive materials PY - 2022 UR - https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.20/40614 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - IASMiRT AN - OPUS4-59378 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Liu, Y. T1 - Cooperation in Advanced Technologies Associated with the Back End of Nuclear Fuel Cycle N2 - A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) and the German Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) was signed in October 2014. Its objectives are to promote cooperation among scientists and specialists at Argonne and BAM and establish a framework for collaboration in advanced technologies associated with the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Collaborative activities involving Argonne and BAM may be implemented through the promotion of joint research activities and scientific workshops and conferences; exchange of technical information; and visits by scientists, specialists, and graduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. students. The MOU was renewed in January 2020 for another five years. Highlights of the progress and achievements are provided in identified topical areas for collaboration on ageing management guidance, storage, transportation and disposal R&D, joint conference activities, and conclude with the benefits of the MOU in fostering Argonne and BAM collaboration. T2 - 26th International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology - SMiRT 26 CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 10.07.2022 KW - Nuclear fuel cycle KW - Back end KW - Spent fuel performance KW - Storage KW - Transportation PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55862 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Liu, Yung A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Jaunich, Matthias T1 - Cooperation in Advanced Technologies Associated with the Back End of Nuclear Fuel Cycle N2 - A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) and the German Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) was signed in October 2014. Its objectives are to promote cooperation among scientists and specialists at Argonne and BAM and establish a framework for collaboration in advanced technologies associated with the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Collaborative activities involving Argonne and BAM may be implemented through the promotion of joint research activities and scientific workshops and conferences; exchange of technical information; and visits by scientists, specialists, and graduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. students. The MOU was renewed in January 2020 for another five years. Highlights of the progress and achievements are provided in identified topical areas for collaboration on ageing management guidance, storage, transportation and disposal R&D, joint conference activities, and conclude with the benefits of the MOU in fostering Argonne and BAM collaboration. T2 - 26th International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology - SMiRT 26 CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 10.07.2022 KW - Nuclear fuel cycle KW - Back end KW - Spent fuel performance KW - Storage KW - Transportation PY - 2022 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-55861 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Musolff, Andre T1 - Fire Influence to Wood Filled Impact Limiters - Implications for the Package Design Safety Case N2 - Impact limiters with wooden components are widely used in the design of packages for transportation of radioactive material. In most designs, the wood is encapsulated with steel sheets. Impact limiters mainly determine the mechanical and thermal behaviour of the package in accident conditions of transport in accordance with the IAEA Regulations. In context with research and development for package design approval competence, the thermal behaviour of heavy-weight packages was investigated at BAM with an artificially pre-damaged generic impact limiter design. Within this first investigation, the pre-damaged impact limiter with a diameter of 2.3 meters was mounted on a water tank simulating the thermal capacity of a cask during the fire test. The water tank is part of a water circulating system built of several components such as pump, heater, cooler, sliding valve, flow meter, thermocouples and control unit in order to measure the heat flux. Furthermore, the investigations focus on the effects this additional heat generation would have on the cask and especially on the lid-closure system with the gasket. The results of these experiments could find consideration in the safety case of the transport packages of radioactive material using wood filled impact limiters. T2 - 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - Juan-les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Fire test KW - Impact limiter KW - Mechanical and thermal behaviour PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57719 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Müller, Lars T1 - Drop tests assessment of internal shock absorbers for packages loaded with encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel N2 - Damaged spent nuclear fuel (DSNF) can be loaded in German dual-purpose casks (DPC) for transport and interim storage. Encapsulations are needed to guarantee a safe handling and a tight closure, separated from the package enclosure. These encapsulations shall be durable and leak-tight for a long storage period, because they are usually not accessible within periodical inspections of the DPC. Due to the general design of DPCs for standard fuel assemblies, specific requirements have to be considered for the design of encapsulations for DSNF to ensure the loading in existing package designs. Especially the primary lid system of a DPC is designed for maximum loads due to the internal impact of the content during drop test conditions. The main difference of encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel is that they have usually a much higher stiffness than standard fuel assemblies. Therefore the design of an internal shock absorber, e.g. at the head of an encapsulation is required to reduce mechanical loads to the primary lid system during impacts. BAM as part of the German competent authority system is responsible for the safety assessment of the mechanical and thermal package design, the release of radioactive material and the quality assurance of package manufacturing and operation. Concerning the mechanical design of the encapsulation BAM was involved in the comprehensive assessment procedure during the package design approval process. An internal shock absorber was developed by the package designer with numerical analyses and experimental drop tests. Experimental drop tests are needed to cover limiting parameters regarding, e.g. temperature and wall thickness of the shock absorbing element to enable a detailed specification of the whole load-deformation behavior of the encapsulation shock absorber. The paper gives an overview of the assessment work by BAM and points out the main findings which are relevant for an acceptable design of internal shock absorbers. The physical drop tests were planned on the basis of pre-investigations of the applicant concerning shape, dimension and material properties. In advance of the final drop tests the possible internal impact behavior had to be analyzed and the setup of the test facility had to be validated. The planning, performance and evaluation of the final drop tests were witnessed and assessed by BAM. In conclusion it could be approved that the German encapsulation system for damaged spent nuclear fuel with shock absorbing components can be handled similar to standard fuel assemblies in existing package designs. T2 - Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference 2020 CY - Online meeting DA - 03.08.2020 KW - Drop tests KW - Internal shock absorber KW - Design assessment of RAM packages KW - Encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51550 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Müller, Lars 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, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Tightness assessment KW - Welded lids KW - Transport packages KW - Encapsulations PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64017 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Scheidemann, Robert A1 - Neumeyer, Tino A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Tightness Verification Procedures of Welded Lids for Encapsulations for Damaged Spent Nuclear Fuel in the Design Approval Process of Dual-Purpose Cask (DPC) N2 - Damaged spent nuclear fuel (DSNF) can be loaded in Germany in dual-purpose casks (DPC) for transport and interim storage. Therefore, special encapsulations are needed to guarantee a safe handling and a reliable tight closure. These encapsulations must be durable and leak-tight for a possible long interim storage term and the transport thereafter. Because components inside the package containment like these special encapsulations are not accessible within periodical inspections of the DPC. Due to the general design of DPCs for standard fuel assemblies, specific requirements needed to be considered for the design of the special encapsulations for DSNF to ensure the loading in existing package designs. Especially the content of the encapsulations with damaged spent nuclear fuel must be avoided to enter in the inner space of the DPC, due to the possible higher amount of corrosive and radioactive material as well as greater quantities of water, which can be trapped in defect fuel rods. The main difference of the encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel is that they have no replaceable sealing as tightness barrier. They have a specific welded lid. Therefor the tightness needs to be shown in the design approval process for all transport conditions especially for accident conditions, where high internal impact loads can occur. As German competent authority, BAM is responsible for the safety assessment of the mechanical and thermal design, the release of radioactive material and the quality assurance aspects of manufacturing and operation. Concerning the mechanical package design BAM carried out a comprehensive safety assessment for the specific encapsulations during the package design approval process of the commonly used DPC. For the proof of tightness of the welded lid no representative standards are available. For minor loads the German KTA standards can verify the tightness of a weld seam but only for low stresses. For higher impact loads physical tests are required. These tests were performed with representative drop tests and highly sensitive leak tests. The present paper gives an overview of the applied assessments by BAM and points out the main findings of the mechanical design for the welded sealing. 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 drop tests based on complex numerical pre-calculations by the applicant which result in optimized dimensions and properties of the test specimens and representative drop heights for the drop tests. The horizontal drop orientation with a plane-parallel impact on the unyielding basement was most challenging and led to specific adaptations during preparation and conduction of the drop tests performed by BAM. With leak tests and the corresponding test evaluation, it could be finally approved that the specific welded sealing of an encapsulations for DSNF is tight for all transport conditions. T2 - ASME PVP 2024 CY - Bellevue, WA, USA DA - 28.07.2024 KW - Tightness verification KW - Weld seams KW - Drop tests KW - Encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel KW - Helium leak tests PY - 2024 SN - 978-0-7918-8851-3 SP - 1 EP - 10 CY - New York AN - OPUS4-61351 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 - Müller, Lars A1 - Scheidemann, Robert A1 - Schönfelder, Thorsten A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Drop tests assessment of internal shock absorbers for packages loaded with encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel N2 - Damaged spent nuclear fuel (DSNF) can be loaded in German dual-purpose casks (DPC) for transport and interim storage. Encapsulations are needed to guarantee a safe handling and a tight closure, separated from the package enclosure. These encapsulations shall be durable and leak-tight for a long storage period, because they are usually not accessible within periodical inspections of the DPC. Due to the general design of DPCs for standard fuel assemblies, specific requirements have to be considered for the design of encapsulations for DSNF to ensure the loading in existing package designs. Especially the primary lid system of a DPC is designed for maximum loads due to the internal impact of the content during drop test conditions. The main difference of encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel is that they have usually a much higher stiffness than standard fuel assemblies. Therefore the design of an internal shock absorber, e.g. at the head of an encapsulation is required to reduce mechanical loads to the primary lid system during impacts. BAM as part of the German competent authority system is responsible for the safety assessment of the mechanical and thermal package design, the release of radioactive material and the quality assurance of package manufacturing and operation. Concerning the mechanical design of the encapsulation BAM was involved in the comprehensive assessment procedure during the package design approval process. An internal shock absorber was developed by the package designer with numerical analyses and experimental drop tests. Experimental drop tests are needed to cover limiting parameters regarding, e.g. temperature and wall thickness of the shock absorbing element to enable a detailed specification of the whole load-deformation behavior of the encapsulation shock absorber. The paper gives an overview of the assessment work by BAM and points out the main findings which are relevant for an acceptable design of internal shock absorbers. The physical drop tests were planned on the basis of pre-investigations of the applicant concerning shape, dimension and material properties. In advance of the final drop tests the possible internal impact behavior had to be analyzed and the setup of the test facility had to be validated. The planning, performance and evaluation of the final drop tests were witnessed and assessed by BAM. In conclusion it could be approved that the German encapsulation system for damaged spent nuclear fuel with shock absorbing components can be handled similar to standard fuel assemblies in existing package designs. T2 - Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference 2020 CY - Online meeting DA - 03.08.2020 KW - Encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel KW - Drop tests KW - Internal shock absorber KW - Design assessment of RAM packages PY - 2020 SP - 1 EP - 9 AN - OPUS4-51546 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nagel, Thomas A1 - Rühaak, Wolfram A1 - Amann, Florian A1 - Bracke, Guido A1 - Buske, Stefan A1 - Kowalski, Julia A1 - Reiche, Sönke A1 - Schäfer, Thorsten A1 - Scheytt, Traugott A1 - Stumpf, Thorsten A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wellmann, Florian A1 - Kolditz, Olaf T1 - Deep geological disposal - Editorial to the topical collection N2 - The subsurface geological environment, historically a key source of fossil and mineral resources, has seen a significant broadening of its potential applications in recent years, with increasing emphasis on its use for energy production and storage. A critical factor in utilizing subsurface space is ensuring the sustainability of management practices, with particular attention to the potential environmental impacts that may result. The current Topical Collection on Deep Geological Disposal places greater emphasis on the geotechnical aspects of geological disposal, with a particular focus on the safe isolation of hazardous materials, including radioactive waste. The Topical Collection on Deep Geological Disposal covers both experimental (laboratory and in-situ) and theoretical studies of various geotechnical applications, such as geological disposal of radioactive or other materials, e.g. coal-based solid waste, carbon dioxide sequestration in fractured reservoirs, and brine solutions, but also aspects of uranium mining. The articles in the Topical Collections are arranged under the following headings: – Fundamental studies – Experimental studies – Numerical studies KW - Disposal KW - Radioactive Waste KW - Geology PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-624955 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-12075-2 SN - 1866-6299 VL - 84 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-62495 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Nagelschmidt, Sven T1 - Application study of time-temperature correlation methods on test data of metal seals N2 - Reliable experimental data and prediction models are required to evaluate the behavior of components and materials over long periods of time. One method is based on the time-temperature equivalence principle, according to which a state or material property occurs or can be achieved equivalently at different time-temperature combinations. Higher temperatures generally shorten the duration and vice versa. Based on this approach, the long-term behavior of metal seals, as used in storage containers for spent nuclear fuels and high-level radioactive waste, has been studied at BAM and other institutions around the world for several years. However, such tests are often not planned as a preliminary point regarding the basic conditions of time-temperature related models. Gaps are then sometimes identified during the evaluation, for example because certain temperature values are missing, or the measurement intervals were not selected appropriately. This study evaluates exemplarily the status of the test data of metal seals at the BAM regarding the applicability of existing time-temperature correlation methods and corresponding models. Based on the existing database, the aim is to show which method and model are more likely to be applicable and which additional tests might be necessary to obtain a more suitable database. The tests so far have provided important findings for the planning and adaptation of possible further tests and for suitable model developments. Identified gaps in the data basis led to further development of the methods. In the present work, a time-temperature correlation was determined based on a time-temperature parameter from GRAHAM and WALLES for a selected data range. T2 - Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference PVP2025 CY - Montreal, Canada DA - 20.07.2025 KW - Time-temperature equivalence KW - Metal seals, KW - Time-temperature superposition KW - Time-temperature parameters PY - 2025 VL - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - ASME CY - USA AN - OPUS4-63789 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nagelschmidt, Sven A1 - Herbrich, Uwe A1 - Keller, Christian A1 - Qiao, Linan T1 - Re-evaluation of tensile and creep rupture data of metals using a modified Larson–Miller approach N2 - More than 70 years ago, in 1952 Larson and Miller adapted an existing relationship whichevaluates the relative effects of time and temperature on creep rupture behavior of various alloys by using existing data and by constructing so-called master curves. Since that time, the formulated Larson–Miller relation, commonly known as Larson–Miller parameter, is a widely used time–temperature parameter for various applications, e.g. for rupture life, creep and relaxation analyses of metals and some other materials such as polymers, concrete and ceramics.Nevertheless, the physical meaning of this parameter as well as the determination of master curves are still the subject of major criticism. In this work, both aspects are reviewed and analyzed with data originally considered in thepaper of Larson and Miller based on the following approach: (a) the parameter was modifiedregarding a reference time and a reference temperature according to the time–temperature superposition principle; (b) master curves were generated for five materials investigated originally by Larson and Miller, based on a stretched exponential function type. It has been shown, that: (1) With normalized time and temperature, the Larson–Miller parameter corresponds to real logarithmic rupture time. (2) For the relationship between Creep rupture stress and the modified Larson–Miller parameter, the stretched exponential function is a good choice as a master function. (3) Corresponding model parameters have physical meaning and can be easily determined based on data from creep test data. The investigations provide a better understanding and applicability of Larson–Miller approach. KW - Larson–Miller parameter KW - Creep rupture time KW - Time–temperature equivalence KW - Stretched exponential function KW - Extrapolation of short-term data PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-644486 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech.2025.111582 SN - 0013-7944 VL - 329 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-64448 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Naster, Maximilian T1 - Development of a Hydrogen Fire Test Rig for Thermal Testing N2 - A new hydrogen-based test rig is being developed for a feasibility study on the use of hydrogen as an energy source for thermal testing in accordance with the IAEA SSR-6 guidelines for transport packages containing radioactive materials. The test rig will be capable of combusting hydrogen for a wide range of different burner geometries, mass flows and if necessary hydrogen blends. As this type of fire test according to the IAEA boundary conditions (SSR-6 & SSG-26) does not yet exist, a large number of preliminary investigations, safety assessments and calculations must be carried out in order to develop a viable concept for hydrogen fires. T2 - 1st JF BMUV Förderprogramm CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 22.05.2024 KW - IAEA Fire KW - H2 Fire KW - IAEA Regulations PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60555 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Naster, Maximilian T1 - Development of a Hydrogen Fire Test Rig for Thermal Testing N2 - A new hydrogen-based test rig is being developed for a feasibility study on the use of hydrogen as an energy source for thermal testing in accordance with the IAEA SSR-6 guidelines for transport packages containing radioactive materials. The test rig will be capable of combusting hydrogen for a wide range of different burner geometries, mass flows and if necessary hydrogen blends. As this type of fire test according to the IAEA boundary conditions (SSR-6 & SSG-26) does not yet exist, a large number of preliminary investigations, safety assessments and calculations must be carried out in order to develop a viable concept for hydrogen fires. T2 - Technical Exchange IRSN – BAM Transport & Storage of Packages for Radioactive Material CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 04.06.2024 KW - IAEA Fire KW - H2 Fire KW - IAEA Regulations PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60554 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Naster, Maximilian T1 - Experimental and Numerical Analyses for the Evaluation of Hydrogen as an Energy Source for Thermal Testing of Transport Packages of Radioactive Material N2 - In this paper we present a new 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 will be capable of combusting hydrogen for a wide range of different burner geometries, mass flows and if necessary hydrogen blends. 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 calculations must be carried out in order to develop a viable concept for hydrogen fires. In the first step of the feasibility study, the temperature, structure, and radiation of various hydrogen flames are surveyed. In future works, the results will make it possible to design burner frames that are suitable for fire reference tests in order to make comparisons with pool and propane fires used in assessment procedures today. In parallel comparative numerical simulations are conducted to model the thermal behaviour of hydrogen flames using the software package Ansys®. On the one hand, the numerical simulations support the experiments by providing an overview of numerous parameters and the measuring range; on the other hand, they will help with the design of the burner frame in future work. This paper gives an overview in the design and capabilities of the test rig. Furthermore, the results of the parameter studies show that burner geometry and mass flow provide a significant design margin for the thermal shape of the hydrogen flames. In addition, the results of the initial numerical calculations will be used to determine the necessary sensors, the positions, and their operating range. Only the optimal interaction allows a controlled system that permits user-defined hydrogen fires. T2 - PVP2024, Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Bellevue, Washington, USA DA - 29.07.2024 KW - Hydrogen KW - Fire KW - IAEA Regulations KW - CFD KW - Burner PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60855 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Naster, Maximilian T1 - Hydrogen Fire Testing N2 - In this presentation we present a new 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 will be capable of combusting hydrogen for a wide range of different burner geometries, mass flows and if necessary hydrogen blends. 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 calculations must be carried out in order to develop a viable concept for hydrogen fires. In the first step of the feasibility study, the temperature, structure, and radiation of various hydrogen flames are surveyed. In future works, the results will make it possible to design burner frames that are suitable for fire reference tests in order to make comparisons with pool and propane fires used in assessment procedures today. In parallel comparative numerical simulations are conducted to model the thermal behaviour of hydrogen flames using the software package Ansys®. On the one hand, the numerical simulations support the experiments by providing an overview of numerous parameters and the measuring range; on the other hand, they will help with the design of the burner frame in future work. This paper gives an overview in the design and capabilities of the test rig. Furthermore, the results of the parameter studies show that burner geometry and mass flow provide a significant design margin for the thermal shape of the hydrogen flames. In addition, the results of the initial numerical calculations will be used to determine the necessary sensors, the positions, and their operating range. Only the optimal interaction allows a controlled system that permits user-defined hydrogen fires. T2 - Technical Exchange IRSN – BAM Transport & Storage of Packages for Radioactive Material CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 04.06.2024 KW - Hydrogen PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60341 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Naster, Maximilian 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 operations 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, mass 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 - Hydrogen KW - IAEA fire test PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63865 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 for the Evaluation of Hydrogen as an Energy Source for Thermal Testing of Transport Packages of Radioactive Material N2 - In this paper we present a new 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 will be capable of combusting hydrogen for a wide range of different burner geometries, mass flows and if necessary hydrogen blends. 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 calculations must be carried out in order to develop a viable concept for hydrogen fires. In the first step of the feasibility study, the temperature, structure, and radiation of various hydrogen flames are surveyed. In future works, the results will make it possible to design burner frames that are suitable for fire reference tests in order to make comparisons with pool and propane fires used in assessment procedures today. In parallel comparative numerical simulations are conducted to model the thermal behaviour of hydrogen flames using the software package Ansys®. On the one hand, the numerical simulations support the experiments by providing an overview of numerous parameters and the measuring range; on the other hand, they will help with the design of the burner frame in future work. This paper gives an overview in the design and capabilities of the test rig. Furthermore, the results of the parameter studies show that burner geometry and mass flow provide a significant design margin for the thermal shape of the hydrogen flames. In addition, the results of the initial numerical calculations will be used to determine the necessary sensors, the positions, and their operating range. Only the optimal interaction allows a controlled system that permits user-defined hydrogen fires. T2 - PVP2024, Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Bellevue, Washington USA DA - 29.07.2024 KW - Hydrogen KW - Fire KW - Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) KW - IAEA fire test KW - Burner PY - 2024 SN - 978-0-7918-8851-3 SP - 1 EP - 9 AN - OPUS4-60852 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 - Nehrig, Marko T1 - Investigation of the internal impact during a 9 m drop test of an accident-safe waste package N2 - The safety assessment of packages for the transport of radioactive material follows the IAEA regulations and guidance. The specified regulatory tests cover severe accidents and demonstrate the package containment system integrity. Special attention must be drawn to the behaviour of the content which could move inside the package due to unpreventable gaps caused by the loading procedure and the structure of the content. A possible internal impact of the content which occurs during the drop tests onto the lid system is investigated. The IAEA regulations SSR-6 and the Guidance SSG-26, revised recently, consider input from Germany and France related to the significance of internal gaps. In the context of a waste package design assessment, a model was equipped with a representative content to conduct a drop test with an internal impact. The weight and kinetic impact of this content covered all possible real contents. The objective of the test was to maximize the load onto the lid system and to prove the mechanical integrity by complying with the required leak tightness. The test was conducted conservatively at a package temperature lower than -40 °C at the BAM Test Site Technical Safety. This paper gives an overview of efforts to address internal gaps and their consequences, and the BAM efforts with the implementation of this topic into IAEA regulations and guidance material. The paper then focuses on the conduction of a drop test and investigation of internal component impact. T2 - ASME 2021 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP2021) CY - Online meeting DA - 13.07.2021 KW - Drop test KW - Internal gaps KW - IAEA PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-54744 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Nehrig, Marko A1 - Scheidemann, Robert A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor T1 - Investigation of the internal impact during a 9 m drop test of an accident-safe waste package N2 - The safety assessment of packages for the transport of radioactive material follows the IAEA regulations and guidance. The specified regulatory tests cover severe accidents and demonstrate the package containment system integrity. Special attention must be drawn to the behaviour of the content which could move inside the package due to unpreventable gaps caused by the loading procedure and the structure of the content. A possible internal impact of the content which occurs during the drop tests onto the lid system is investigated. The IAEA regulations SSR-6 and the Guidance SSG-26, revised recently, consider input from Germany and France related to the significance of internal gaps. In the context of a waste package design assessment, a model was equipped with a representative content to conduct a drop test with an internal impact. The weight and kinetic impact of this content covered all possible real contents. The objective of the test was to maximize the load onto the lid system and to prove the mechanical integrity by complying with the required leak tightness. The test was conducted conservatively at a package temperature lower than -40 °C at the BAM Test Site Technical Safety. This paper gives an overview of efforts to address internal gaps and their consequences, and the BAM efforts with the implementation of this topic into IAEA regulations and guidance material. The paper then focuses on the conduction of a drop test and investigation of internal component impact. T2 - ASME 2021 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP2021) CY - Online meeting DA - 13.07.2021 KW - Internal gaps KW - Drop test KW - IAEA PY - 2021 SN - 978-0-7918-8535-2 DO - https://doi.org/10.1115/PVP2021-60996 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) CY - New York, NY, USA AN - OPUS4-54742 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin T1 - Nuclear disposal - transport and storage of radioactive waste N2 - This presentation deals with transport, interim storage, and final disposal of radioactive material in Germany in the context of the University of Magdeburg course "Introduction to nuclear plant design and safety". The IAEA regulatory framework, relevant tests for ensuring safety, and transport packages are a major part of the transport aspect. Different interim storage designs are discussed as well as the current state of final repositories in Germany analyzed. Finally, a European perspective is given. T2 - Vorlesungsreihe "Introduction to nuclear plant design and safety" CY - Magdeburg, Germany DA - 13.06.2025 KW - Nuclear KW - Transport KW - Radioactive KW - Material PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63433 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin 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, TX USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - RAM KW - Ageing management KW - Transport KW - Radioactive material PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63985 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin 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, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - RAM KW - Transport KW - Radioactive material KW - Sea PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63983 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin T1 - Design assessment, approval of management systems and ageing aspects of transport packages for radioactive material not requiring competent authority approval of design N2 - Most transports of radioactive materials are carried out with packages not requiring competent authority approval of design. These encompass – in accordance with the IAEA SSR-6 [1] regulations – packages of the classification excepted, Industrial packages Type 1, 2 and 3 and Type A packages. Currently an upsurge in number and variation of these package designs can be seen in Germany, resulting from the phase out of nuclear energy in Germany as well as e. g. increased use of radioactive material for medical purposes. A design assessment regarding the package safety is required in the international IAEA SSR-6 [1] regulations. BAM operates facilities for the performance of all regulatory tests required such as drop towers for a wide range of package masses and dimensions, fire test, leak tightness measurements and pressure test facilities. Experiences with several package types are shown. Additionally, IAEA SSR-6 [1] requires the establishment of a management system for design, manufacture, maintenance, and repair of the packaging as well as for the preparation, consigning, loading, carriage, unloading and receipt of the package. Relevant for Germany, BAM has published guidance material on the process of management system acceptance in the technical guide BAM-GGR 016 [2]. The requirements encompass quality management plans for the manufacturing of packages including independent manufacturing surveillance and specific instructions for operation, maintenance, and repair of packagings. Examples for management system specifics and requirements are given. Since the latest edition of the IAEA SSR-6 [1] regulations an ageing evaluation including systematic ageing management measures are required for all kind of package types. BAM is going to update the guidance material BAM-GGR 016 [2] to support the stakeholders with relevant information to fulfil the ageing aspect for packages not requiring competent authority approval. The paper explains how the ageing aspect may be included in the safety evaluation process and the management system measures and will give an outlook for the future guidance material. T2 - 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 22) CY - Juan-les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Radioactive material KW - Type A package KW - Management system KW - Tests KW - Non-approved PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57704 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GOVDOC A1 - Neumann, Martin T1 - Measures for quality and ageing management for non-competent authority approved package designs for the transport of radioactive material N2 - The BAM-GGR 016 explains the requirements of ADR, RID, ADN and IMDG for management systems for design, manufacturing, testing, documentation, use, maintenance, and inspection of packagings for package designs for the transport of radioactive material not requiring competent authority approval for all designs of exempted packages, packages type IP-1, IP-2, IP-3 and type A. KW - Not requiring competent authority approval KW - Radioactive material KW - Transport PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-636506 VL - BAM-GGR 016 SP - 1 EP - 25 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin ET - Revision 1 AN - OPUS4-63650 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin T1 - Friction coefficients for wood-wood and wood-steel contacts N2 - The friction at the interfaces between pieces of wood and steel is of crucial importance for the impact and energy absorption in impact limiters of transport casks for radioactive material. Here, the friction coefficient for the combinations wood-wood and wood-steel was measured in the temperature range between -40°C and 90°C. Results show decreasing friction with increasing temperature, ranging from 0.43 at -40°C to 0.22 for 90°C for wood-steel combinations and from 0.3 at -40°C to 0.24 at 90°C for a wood-wood combination. T2 - Sandia-BAM Workshop CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 21.11.2022 KW - Wood KW - Friction KW - Transport cask PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56342 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin T1 - Friction coefficients for wood-wood and wood-steel interfaces in impact limiters for transport casks N2 - Wood is widely used in impact limiters of transport casks for radioactive material. Encapsulated by an outer and inner steel structure, spruce wood is often applied in layers of alternating direction. The friction at the interfaces between these layers is of crucial importance for the impact and energy absorption e.g., at an accidental impact of a cask against a hard target. In order to get detailed information for corresponding numerical calculations, in this study the friction coefficient for the combinations wood-wood and wood-steel was measured in the temperature range between -40°C and 90°C according to the relevant stress conditions for such casks. Results show decreasing friction with increasing temperature, ranging from 0.43 at -40°C to 0.22 for 90°C for wood-steel combinations and from 0.3 at -40°C to 0.24 at 90°C to for a wood-wood combination. T2 - 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 22) CY - Juan-les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Wood KW - Friction KW - Transport cask PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57702 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin T1 - Transport of HLW canisters on sea vessels N2 - Germany had been transporting spent fuel to the reprocessing plant in Sellafield and La Hague for decades until around 2005. Resulting from the obligation to take back the vitrified high-level waste from reprocessing six CASTOR® HAW28M filled with 168 canisters with radioactive waste in vitrified form were transported from Sellafield to the interim storage facility Biblis in 2020. Rail wagons were used for the transport 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. BAM was involved in the authority assessment of the conditions for the sea transport. For the first transport BAM required among others, assessment of temperature distribution during transport, logging of temperatures of cargo bays and graphical imaging of temperatures of the bay with the cask in order 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 IMDG code and its supplement INF code regarding temperature control of hatches. Results show compliance with assumed conditions. T2 - RAMTrans 2024 CY - London, GB DA - 14.05.2024 KW - Transport KW - Spent nuclear fuel KW - Ship KW - Sea KW - High level waste PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60091 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 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Transport of HLW canisters on sea vessels N2 - Germany had been transporting spent fuel to the reprocessing plant in Sellafield and La Hague for decades until around 2005. Resulting from the obligation to take back the vitrified high-level waste from reprocessing six CASTOR® HAW28M filled with 168 canisters with radioactive waste in vitrified form were transported from Sellafield to the interim storage facility Biblis in 2020. Rail wagons were used for the transport 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. BAM was involved in the authority assessment of the conditions for the sea transport. For the first transport BAM required among others, assessment of temperature distribution during transport, logging of temperatures of cargo bays and graphical imaging of temperatures of the bay with the cask in order 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 IMDG code and its supplement INF code regarding temperature control of hatches. Results show compliance with assumed conditions. T2 - RAMTrans 2024 CY - London, United Kingdom DA - 14.05.2024 KW - Transport KW - Spent nuclear fuel KW - Ship KW - Sea KW - High level waste PY - 2024 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-60092 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Gradt, Thomas T1 - Friction coefficients for wood-wood and wood-steel high pressure contact under temperatures between -40 °C and 90 °C N2 - Wood is widely used in impact limiters of Transport casks for radioactive material. Encapsulated by an outer and inner Steel structure, spruce wood is offen applied in layers of altemating direction. The friction at the interfaces between these layers is of crucial importance for the impact and energy absorption e.g., at an accidental impact of a cask against a hard component. In order to get detailed Information for corresponding numerical calculations, in this study the friction coefficient for the combinations wood-wood and wood-steel was measured in the temperature ränge between -40 °C and 90 °C according to the relevant stress conditions for such casks. Results show decreasing friction with increasing temperature, ranging from 0.43 at -40 °C to 0.22 for 90 °C for wood-steel combinations and from 0.3 at -40 °C to 0.24 at 90 °C to for a wood-wood combination. KW - Wood KW - Friction KW - Transport cask KW - Radioactive material PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.24053/TuS-2023-0007 SN - 0724-3472 VL - 70 IS - 2 SP - 5 EP - 12 PB - expert verlag AN - OPUS4-57787 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Gradt, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Friction coefficients for wood-wood and wood-steel interfaces in impact limiters for transport casks N2 - Wood is widely used in impact limiters of transport casks for radioactive material. Encapsulated by an outer and inner steel structure, spruce wood is often applied in layers of alternating direction. The friction at the interfaces between these layers is of crucial importance for the impact and energy absorption e.g., at an accidental impact of a cask against a hard target. In order to get detailed information for corresponding numerical calculations, in this study the friction coefficient for the combinations wood-wood and wood-steel was measured in the temperature range between -40°C and 90°C according to the relevant stress conditions for such casks. Results show decreasing friction with increasing temperature, ranging from 0.43 at -40°C to 0.22 for 90°C for wood-steel combinations and from 0.3 at -40°C to 0.24 at 90°C to for a wood-wood combination. T2 - 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - Juan-les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Wood KW - Friction KW - Transport cask PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 11 AN - OPUS4-57334 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Gröke, Carsten A1 - Neumeyer, Tino T1 - Design assessment, approval of management systems and ageing aspects of transport packages for radioactive material not requiring competent authority approval of design N2 - Most transports of radioactive materials are carried out with packages not requiring competent authority approval of design. These encompass – in accordance with the IAEA SSR-6 regulations – packages of the classification excepted, Industrial packages Type 1, 2 and 3 and Type A packages. Currently an upsurge in number and variation of these package designs can be seen in Germany, resulting from the phase out of nuclear energy in Germany as well as e. g. increased use of radioactive material for medical purposes. A design assessment regarding the package safety is required in the international IAEA SSR-6 regulations. BAM operates facilities for the performance of all regulatory tests required such as drop towers for a wide range of package masses and dimensions, fire test, leak tightness measurements and pressure test facilities. Experiences with several package types are shown. Additionally, IAEA SSR-6 requires the establishment of a management system for design, manufacture, maintenance, and repair of the packaging as well as for the preparation, consigning, loading, carriage, unloading and receipt of the package. Relevant for Germany, BAM has published guidance material on the process of management system acceptance in the technical guide BAM-GGR 016. The requirements encompass quality management plans for the manufacturing of packages including independent manufacturing surveillance and specific instructions for operation, maintenance, and repair of packagings. Examples for management system specifics and requirements are given. Since the latest edition of the IAEA SSR-6 regulations an ageing evaluation including systematic ageing management measures are required for all kind of package types. BAM is going to update the guidance material BAM-GGR 016 to support the stakeholders with relevant information to fulfil the ageing aspect for packages not requiring competent authority approval. The paper explains how the ageing aspect may be included in the safety evaluation process and the management system measures and will give an outlook for the future guidance material. T2 - 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 22) CY - Juan-Les-Pins, Antibes, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Typ KW - Radioactive material KW - Non-approved PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-57703 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Qiao, Linan A1 - Nagelschmidt, Sven A1 - Herbrich, Uwe A1 - Keller, Christian T1 - Introduction of a Power Law Time-Temperature Equivalent Formulation for the Description of Thermorheologically Simple and Complex Behavior N2 - Abstract: In this work, a conceptual framework is suggested for analyzing thermorheologically simple and complex behavior by using just one approach. Therefore, the linear relation between master time and real time which is required in terms of the time-temperature superposition principle was enhanced to a nonlinear equivalent relation. Furthermore, we evaluate whether there is any relation among well-known existing time-temperature equivalent formulations which makes it possible to generalize different existing formulations. For this purpose, as an example, the power law formulation was used for the definition of the master time. The method introduced here also contributes a further framework for a unification of established time-temperature equivalent formulations, for example the time-temperature superposition principle and time-temperature parameter models. Results show, with additional normalization conditions, most of the developed time-temperature parameter models can be treated as special cases of the new formulation. In the aspect of the arrow of time, the new defined master time is a bended arrow of time, which can help to understand the corresponding physical meaning of the suggested method. KW - bended arrow of time KW - time-temperature superposition principle KW - time-temperature equivalent formulation PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543800 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15030726 VL - 15 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-54380 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas T1 - Enhancement of the bam fire test stand for testing a large transport package for radioactive materials N2 - Packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel are designed to endure severe accidents. To obtain approval, these transport packages must adhere to the specification-based criteria of the international transport regulations SSR-6 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, SSR-6 prescribes a mechanical test followed by a thermal fire test as part of different testing scenarios. To approve the latter test of the sequence, BAM performs calorimeter tests in advance with so-called fire reference packages for characterizing the actual fire and its impact on the package to be tested. Packages are designed with different geometry sizes depending on their purpose. For previous tests, the implemented test setups in the fire test stand were sufficiently dimensioned and could cover all requirements in this respect. However, to cover additional testing needs in the future, BAM is expanding the test setup for the purpose of testing significantly larger packages. In previous test setups one ring burner for propane surrounding the test specimen was sufficient. The limiting size in this configuration was the design height of the transport package to be tested. According to the thermal test of the IAEA-Regulations [1], a 30-minute fully engulfing 800°C pool fire or an equally severe fire, e.g., propane gas fire, must be applied to the transport package. Possible adjustments such as nozzle cross-section and propane mass flow can be adjusted to a certain extent. Further modifications, to cover significantly higher and larger packages all-around with a fully engulfing fire, must be accomplished with an additional, second burner ring. Both burner rings had the same dimensions and were mounted on top of each other at different heights to create a significantly larger volume of fire that completely engulfs the package including its impact limiter. To meet the IAEA regulatory boundary conditions, the enhanced fire test stand with the second burner ring is tested with a large fire reference package and will then be used for real-size transport packages after all parameters are successfully met. This fire reference package represents the external geometry of a generic transport cask for radioactive material and is equipped with numerous temperature sensors to record temperature curves at the interior wall surfaces. T2 - RAMTrans 2024 CY - London, United Kingdom DA - 14.05.2024 KW - Fire testing KW - Full-scale KW - Transport package PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60255 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas T1 - Full-scale drop testing with a heavy-weight package for radioactive waste N2 - Packages for the transport of radioactive materials shall fulfil the requirements of the IAEA regulations for the safe transport. The requirements define mechanical and thermal test conditions including criteria ensuring the package design’s ability to withstand severe accidents and provide a high level of technical safety. Different methods can be used for safety demonstration showing compliance with the regulations. The central part of a safety demonstration which is presented in this paper was a comprehensive drop test program with a full-scale model of a transport package accompanied by pre- and post-test FE analyses. Using full-scale drop test models allow the benefit that similarity and scaling issues become a significant smaller issue, additional material investigations can be limited and analyses for transferring test results to the original package design are reduced. Additionally, experience for the future serial packaging manufacturing and handling procedures can be collected in a very early state of the design approval process. The pre-test finite element analyses derived and justified the drop test program consisting of several drop sequences with different drop orientations of the specimen. The performance and the results of the drop test sequences shows the manageability and the advantage e.g., in view of the direct availability of test results for the package licensing. On the other hand, the drop test performance shows the difficulties during handling and the need for additional equipment during preparation of the specimen. The package presented was intended for the transport and storage of compacted radioactive waste from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel assemblies - designed and applied for approval by the AGC consortium. The project ended in 2021. The package design was characterized by a cask body made of a forged thick stainless-steel shell, a bolted double lid system with metallic gaskets and wood filled shock absorbers at both ends. The total mass of the entire transport package including content was 120,000 kg, the total length was about 7000 mm and the diameter approximately 3000 mm, both measures include the shock absorbers. The paper provides an insight into the performance of a full-scale drop testing campaign within the package safety evaluation and shows some selected test results. T2 - 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 22) CY - Juan-Les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Full-scale KW - Drop testing KW - Package KW - Radioactive waste PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57731 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas 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 environment 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, Canada DA - 20.07.2025 KW - Package KW - Thermal testing KW - Test stand KW - Fire PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63893 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas T1 - Fire Test Stand for Thermal Testing of Large Packages for the Transport of Radioactive Materials N2 - Packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel are designed to withstand severe accidents and must ensure compliance with the IAEA-Regulations prescribing mechanical tests followed by a thermal test. The thermal test involves that a test specimen is exposed to a thermal environment for 30 minutes, simulating the conditions of a hydrocarbon fuel-air fire. The average fire temperature is at least 800°C, and the fire completely engulfs the test specimen. In advance of a regular fire test, BAM performs so-called fire reference tests or calorimeter tests with a fire reference package (FRP) to determine the test conditions for compliance with the IAEA-requirements. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Experiment KW - Thermal Test KW - Fire PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63871 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 - Enhancement of the BAM Fire Test Stand for Testing a Large Transport Package for Radioactive Materials N2 - Packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel are designed to endure severe accidents. To obtain approval, these transport packages must adhere to the specification-based criteria of the international transport regulations SSR-6 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, SSR-6 prescribes a mechanical test followed by a thermal fire test as part of different testing scenarios. To approve the latter test of the sequence, BAM performs calorimeter tests in advance with so-called fire reference packages for characterizing the actual fire and its impact on the package to be tested. Packages are designed with different geometry sizes depending on their purpose. For previous tests, the implemented test setups in the fire test stand were sufficiently dimensioned and could cover all requirements in this respect. However, to cover additional testing needs in the future, BAM is expanding the test setup for the purpose of testing significantly larger packages. In previous test setups one ring burner for propane surrounding the test specimen was sufficient. The limiting size in this configuration was the design height of the transport package to be tested. According to the thermal test of the IAEA-Regulations [1], a 30-minute fully engulfing 800°C pool fire or an equally severe fire, e.g., propane gas fire, must be applied to the transport package. Possible adjustments such as nozzle cross-section and propane mass flow can be adjusted to a certain extent. Further modifications, to cover significantly higher and larger packages all-around with a fully engulfing fire, must be accomplished with an additional, second burner ring. Both burner rings had the same dimensions and were mounted on top of each other at different heights to create a significantly larger volume of fire that completely engulfs the package including its impact limiter. To meet the IAEA regulatory boundary conditions, the enhanced fire test stand with the second burner ring is tested with a large fire reference package and will then be used for real-size transport packages after all parameters are successfully met. This fire reference package represents the external geometry of a generic transport cask for radioactive material and is equipped with numerous temperature sensors to record temperature curves at the interior wall surfaces. T2 - RAMTrans 2024 CY - London, United Kingdom DA - 14.05.2024 KW - Fire testing KW - Full-scale KW - Transport package PY - 2024 SP - 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-60253 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 - 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 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Linnemann, Konrad T1 - Full-scale drop testing with a heavy-weight package for radioactive waste N2 - Packages for the transport of radioactive materials shall fulfil the requirements of the IAEA regulations for the safe transport. The requirements define mechanical and thermal test conditions including criteria ensuring the package design’s ability to withstand severe accidents and provide a high level of technical safety. Different methods can be used for safety demonstration showing compliance with the regulations. The central part of a safety demonstration which is presented in this paper was a comprehensive drop test program with a full-scale model of a transport package accompanied by pre- and post-test FE analyses. Using full-scale drop test models allow the benefit that similarity and scaling issues become a significant smaller issue, additional material investigations can be limited and analyses for transferring test results to the original package design are reduced. Additionally, experience for the future serial packaging manufacturing and handling procedures can be collected in a very early state of the design approval process. The pre-test finite element analyses derived and justified the drop test program consisting of several drop sequences with different drop orientations of the specimen. The performance and the results of the drop test sequences shows the manageability and the advantage e.g., in view of the direct availability of test results for the package licensing. On the other hand, the drop test performance shows the difficulties during handling and the need for additional equipment during preparation of the specimen. The package presented was intended for the transport and storage of compacted radioactive waste from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel assemblies - designed and applied for approval by the AGC consortium. The project ended in 2021. The package design was characterized by a cask body made of a forged thick stainless-steel shell, a bolted double lid system with metallic gaskets and wood filled shock absorbers at both ends. The total mass of the entire transport package including content was 120,000 kg, the total length was about 7000 mm and the diameter approximately 3000 mm, both measures include the shock absorbers. The paper provides an insight into the performance of a full-scale drop testing campaign within the package safety evaluation and shows some selected test results. T2 - 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 22) CY - Juan-Les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Full-scale KW - Drop testing KW - Package KW - Radioactive materials transport PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-57732 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Linnemann, Konrad ED - Baraldi, P. ED - Di Maio, F. ED - Zio, E. T1 - Safety Evaluation of a Package for Radioactive Waste by Full-Scale Drop Testing N2 - As part of the evaluation of a package for the safe transport of radioactive waste the regulations of the IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency shall be fulfilled. The regulations define requirements for the package and specify mechanical and thermal test conditions. Different methods are allowed for the test performance to demonstrate compliance with the regulations. Next to calculational approaches and the use of models of an appropriate scale, the performance of full-scale testing with prototype packages respectively full-scale models is applied. The use of full-scale models has several advantages within the complete safety assessment procedure for a transport package approval. Scaling and corresponding similarity questions don’t have to be considered, additional material investigations can be limited and analyses to transfer test results to the original package design are reduced in number and complexity. Additionally, experience for future serial design procedures can be built up during manufacturing and assembling of the test model. BAM operates different drop and fire test facilities south of Berlin, Germany. BAM has started to perform a drop test campaign with a full-scale model of 120 metric tons weight for a transport package approval procedure. The paper describes experience with test preparation, drop performance and additional analyses. The measurement concept is explained and test goals regarding the package safety assessment and evaluation of safety margins are introduced. T2 - 30th European Safety and Reliability Conference and 15th Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management Conference (ESREL2020 PSAM15) CY - Online meeting DA - 01.11.2020 KW - Slap-down KW - Transport safety KW - Package KW - Drop test KW - Similarity KW - FEA KW - Radioactive waste PY - 2020 UR - https://www.rpsonline.com.sg/proceedings/esrel2020/html/3809.xml SN - 987-981-14-8593-0 SP - Paper 3809,1 EP - 8 PB - Research Publishing Services CY - Singapore AN - OPUS4-50981 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Reichardt, Adrian T1 - Assessment of ageing effects at BAM N2 - In Germany, spent nuclear fuel and vitrified high active waste is stored in dual purpose casks (DPC) at interim storage facilities. In order to ensure the transportability of the DPC to a final repository in future, the maintenance of the package design approval is realized. Therefore, the assessment of possible ageing effects during interim storage is necessary to ensure an evaluation of the transportability. The lecture presents BAM's current ageing evaluation concept in the field of trasnport law. T2 - IRSN-BAM Symposium - Safety of Transport and Storage Packages CY - Online meeting DA - 19.11.2020 KW - Ageing KW - DPC KW - Interim storage KW - Ageing management PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51718 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Reichardt, Adrian T1 - Introduction of an ageing management approach for packages for the transport of radioactive materials N2 - With integration of the new para 613A into SSR-6 [1] the consideration of ageing mechanisms is now obligatory for the design of packages and their approval. In addition, para 809(f) of SSR-6 [1] requires consideration of the effects of storage on ageing mechanisms, safety analyses and operation and maintenance instructions. German competent authorities Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) and Bundesamt für die Sicherheit der nuklearen Entsorgung (BASE) are considering the aspect of ageing in approval procedures. Ageing assessment is mainly focused on dual purpose casks (DPC) package designs which are long-term stored in interim storage facilities. For these package designs, the evaluation of ageing management is now mandatory for the maintenance of the package design approvals with a validity period of 5 years and beyond. The ageing management includes amongst others a gap analysis, the assessment of ageing effects and operational experiences during operation and interim storage. BAM works on the compilation of a guideline for implementation of paras 613A, 809(f) and 809(k) for packages requiring competent authority approval at the application procedure in Germany. The paper describes essential items of ageing mechanisms and will give a foresight to the ageing management evaluation by BAM. T2 - INMM & ESARDA Joint Annual Meeting CY - Online Meeting DA - 30.08.2021 KW - Ageing KW - Dual purpose casks KW - Transport of radaioactive materials KW - Ageing mechanisms KW - Interim storage KW - SSR-6 PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53197 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Reichardt, Adrian T1 - Introduction of An Ageing Management Approach for Dual Purpose Casks N2 - With integration of the new para 613A into SSR-6 [1] the consideration of ageing mechanisms is now obligatory for the design of packages and their approval. In addition, para 809(f) of SSR-6 [1] requires consideration of the effects of storage on ageing mechanisms, safety analyses and operation and maintenance instructions. German competent authorities Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) and Bundesamt für die Sicherheit der nuklearen Entsorgung (BASE) are considering the aspect of ageing in approval procedures. Ageing assessment is mainly focused on dual purpose casks (DPC) package designs which are long-term stored in interim storage facilities. T2 - BAM-IRSN Symposium 2021 CY - Online meeting DA - 08.09.2021 KW - Ageing KW - DPC KW - Interim storage KW - Ageing management PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53287 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Reichardt, Adrian A1 - Komann, Steffen T1 - Experience regarding ageing management and maintenance of transport packages in Germany N2 - The presentation gives an overview about the current experiences of BAM regarding ageing management of transport packages in Germany. The concept of the BAM-GGR 023 for ageing management of transport packagings will be described. The fundamentals of BAM-GGR 023 will be shown, including the following key aspects: -the organization of an Ageing Management System (AMS), -the issue of an Ageing Management Plan (AMP), -the ageing evaluation as a part of the AMP, -the Ageing Surveillance Program (ASP) as a part of the AMP, -the Ageing Management Documentation (AMD). T2 - First Consultancy Meeting on Drafting the Safety Guide on Ageing Management and Maintenance of Radioactive Material Transport Packages CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 20.11.2023 KW - Ageing Management KW - Dual Purpose Cask KW - BAM-GGR 023 PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58863 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette T1 - Safety assessment of aged metal seals N2 - With our experiments we want to simulate a load situation which can result from a cask vertical drop test. The lid can lift a little for a very short moment and that can perhaps result in a little movement of the seal, a little rotation or a little lateral movement, so that the contact section can change. The aim of the project is to learn more about the sealing efficiency after the seal is compressed again. What we know from former component tests with non-aged seals is, that the leakage rate measured after one or more decompression /compression cycles with seal movement becomes significant higher. And this result is considered for specification of design leakage rates for release calculation in safety cases. In the recent years we all have learned more about the significant influence of temperature and time on seal behavior and so the plan was to do similar experiments with aged seals, just to get an idea about seal behavior and achievable leakage rates. What we did in detail is: We compressed Helicoflex-seals of both design types, with Aluminum and Silver outer jackets, in testflanges and aged them in an oven at a temperature of 125°C for 3 months to produce seal properties comparable with properties after several years use at more typical operating temperatures between 90 and 100°C. After this ageing procedure we opened the flanges completely, moved the seal a little to vary the contact area and compressed the flanges again. What we measured during all compression and decompression cycles was the load, the deformation and -as long as possible- the leakage rates. T2 - Workshop IRSN/BAM CY - Cadarache, France DA - 12.10.2022 KW - Transport KW - Radioactive KW - Seal behavior KW - Ageing PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56141 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette T1 - Qualification Procedure for Seal Designs for Spent Fuel Transport and Storage Cask Containments N2 - The seal is a key component of the containment and closure system of transport and storage casks for radioactive material. It is a major contributor to ensuring compliance with the acceptable limits for activity release according to IAEA regulations. The requirements for a safe seal performance are high, accordingly. Every new seal design intended for use in the containment of a transport cask for radioactive material passes a qualification process in Germany. The qualification process is supervised by BAM as German competent authority for mechanical, thermal and containment assessment of packages requiring design approval. The closure system including the seal shall be able to withstand the corrosive, mechanical and thermal loads associated with routine, normal and accident conditions of transport according to the IAEA regulations without losing the required sealing function. Metal seals of the Helicoflex® type are often used to ensure required package leak tightness for both storage and transport, including transport after long term interim storage. The poster will provide an overview of requirements during a seal qualification process on the example of a Helicoflex® type metal seal. T2 - 21stInternational Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials, PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas , US DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Spent fuel transport KW - Seals KW - Raqdioactive KW - Containment PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63909 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Ageing aspect in design approval of special form radioactive material N2 - In accordance with the IAEA transport regulations, the design of special form radioactive material (SFRM) shall resist a severe transport accident without undue loss or dispersal of radioactive material. The safety assessment for design approval includes besides the program for physical tests (impact, percussion, bending and heat test) also the evaluation of the management system for design, manufacture, testing, documentation, use, maintenance, and inspection. SFRM source design plus management system shall ensure, that every specimen of the approved design is able to survive the severe mechanical and thermal tests at any time of its SFRM-working life. Due to the long-term use of SFRM designs in most cases, the assessment of the source ageing behavior is an important aspect in the approval procedure. Different fields of application imply a wide range of environmental conditions, from clean room atmosphere to highly aggressive industrial conditions. Besides of radioactive content, corrosion is a main factor for possible SFRM design degradation. Although the IAEA Advisory Material SSG-26 already implies an indication of the need for considering ageing mechanisms, suitable amendments in the regulatory requirements of SSR-6 should be introduced to make the approval procedure more transparent and help to reduce rounds of questions by the authority. A supplementary requirement for considering of ageing mechanisms could be a helpful contribution to an international harmonization of the approval procedure. This paper will describe major influencing factors to be considered to assess the ageing behavior of a SFRM design and will identify the need for a regulatory specification of a SFRM-working life as basis for the assessment of the SFRM design regarding time-dependent weakening. A proposal for an explicit requirement for consideration of ageing mechanisms in safety assessment of SFRM, which should be considered in the ongoing SSR-6 revision cycle, will be explained. T2 - PATRAM22 Conference CY - Juan-Les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Beförderung KW - Zulassung KW - Strahlenschutz PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57781 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Ageing aspect in design approval of special form radioactive material N2 - In accordance with the IAEA transport regulations, the design of special form radioactive material (SFRM) shall resist a severe transport accident without undue loss or dispersal of radioactive material. The safety assessment for design approval includes besides the program for physical tests (impact, percussion, bending and heat test) also the evaluation of the management system for design, manufacture, testing, documentation, use, maintenance, and inspection. SFRM source design plus management system shall ensure, that every specimen of the approved design is able to survive the severe mechanical and thermal tests at any time of its SFRM-working life. Due to the long-term use of SFRM designs in most cases, the assessment of the source ageing behavior is an important aspect in the approval procedure. Different fields of application imply a wide range of environmental conditions, from clean room atmosphere to highly aggressive industrial conditions. Besides of radioactive content, corrosion is a main factor for possible SFRM design degradation. Although the IAEA Advisory Material SSG-26 already implies an indication of the need for considering ageing mechanisms, suitable amendments in the regulatory requirements of SSR-6 should be introduced to make the approval procedure more transparent and help to reduce rounds of questions by the authority. A supplementary requirement for considering of ageing mechanisms could be a helpful contribution to an international harmonization of the approval procedure. This paper will describe major influencing factors to be considered to assess the ageing behavior of a SFRM design and will identify the need for a regulatory specification of a SFRM-working life as basis for the assessment of the SFRM design regarding time-dependent weakening. A proposal for an explicit requirement for consideration of ageing mechanisms in safety assessment of SFRM, which should be considered in the ongoing SSR-6 revision cycle, will be explained. T2 - PATRAM22 Conference CY - Juan-Les-Pins, Antibes, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Ttransport KW - Radioactive material KW - Sealed sources KW - Ageing PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 6 AN - OPUS4-57786 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Neumeyer, Tino A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Investigations of Aged Metal Seals for Transport Package Safety Assessment N2 - Acceptable limits for activity release from transport casks for high-level radioactive material specified in the IAEA regulations must be kept by the integrity of cask body and the cask sealing system. BAM as the German competent authority for mechanical, thermal and containment assessment of packages liable for approval verifies the activity release compliance with the regulatory limits. One of the fundamental aspects in assessment is the specification of conservative package design leakage rates. To ensure the required package tightness for both, storage, and transport of the cask before and after storage usually metal seals of the Helicoflex® Type are used. Due to the long-term use the seal behavior is influenced by temperature and time. The mechanical and thermal loadings associated with the routine, normal and accident conditions of transport specified in the regulations can have a significant effect on the leak tightness of the sealing system. Whereas the safety for application of new, non- aged Helicoflex® seals is verified sufficiently, there are still technical data gaps concerning the efficiency of aged Helicoflex® seals. BAM performed experiments to learn more about the sealing efficiency of aged Helicoflex® seals with Aluminum and Silver outer jackets. The seals were compressed in test-flanges and for artificial ageing the complete flange systems were stored in an oven for several month at a high temperature. During the compression and decompression tests after the aging, load-deformation characteristics of the seals, and leakage rates were measured. With these tests a load situation was simulated, which can occur in the regulatory drop test of the cask: Under high impact loads the bolted lid can lift a little for a short moment, allowing a little movement of the seal, so that the contact area can change before compressing again. The poster presentation will show details about test conditions and first results. T2 - Interdisciplinary research symposium on the safety of nuclear disposal practices safeND2023 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 13.09.2023 KW - Radioactive material KW - Sealing KW - Ageing KW - Leaktightnes PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58436 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Neumeyer, Tino A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Investigations of Aged Metal Seals for Transport Package Safety Assessment N2 - Acceptable limits for activity release from transport casks for high-level radioactive material specified in the IAEA regulations must be kept by the integrity of cask body and the cask sealing system. BAM as the German competent authority for mechanical, thermal and containment assessment of packages liable for approval verifies the activity release compliance with the regulatory limits. The specification of conservative package design leakage rates is one of the most important aspects in assessment. Metal seals of the Helicoflex® Type are usually used to ensure the required package tightness for both, storage, and transport of the cask before and after storage. Due to the long-term use the seal behavior is influenced by temperature and time. The mechanical and thermal loadings associated with the routine, normal and accident conditions of transport specified in the regulations can have a significant effect on the leak tightness of the sealing system. Whereas the safety for application of new, non- aged Helicoflex® seals is verified sufficiently, there are still technical data gaps concerning the efficiency of aged Helicoflex® seals. BAM performed experiments to learn more about the sealing efficiency of aged Helicoflex® seals with Aluminum and Silver outer jackets. The seals were compressed in test-flanges and for artificial ageing the complete flange systems were stored in an oven for several month at a high temperature. After this ageing procedure the flanges were opened completely, the seals were moved a little to vary the contact area, and the flanges were compressed again. During the compression and decompression tests after the aging, load-deformation characteristics of the seals, and leakage rates were measured. With these tests a load situation was simulated, which can occur in the regulatory drop test of the cask: Under high impact loads the bolted lid can lift a little for a short moment, allowing a little movement of the seal, so that the contact area can change before compressing again. Details about test conditions and first results will be presented in the poster. T2 - RAMTrans 2024, 12th Internatiopnal Conference on the Transport , Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Materials CY - London, UK DA - 15.05.2024 KW - Seals KW - Ageing KW - Radioaktiv PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60112 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Neumann, Martin T1 - Qualification Procedure for Seal Designs for Spent Fuel Transport and Storage Cask Containments N2 - The seal is a key component of the containment and closure system of transport and storage casks for radioactive material. It is a major contributor to ensuring compliance with the acceptable limits for activity release according to IAEA regulations. The requirements for a safe seal performance are high, accordingly. Every new seal design intended for use in the containment of a transport cask for radioactive material passes a qualification process in Germany. The qualification process is supervised by BAM as German competent authority for mechanical, thermal and containment assessment of packages requiring design approval. The closure system including the seal shall be able to withstand the corrosive, mechanical and thermal loads associated with routine, normal and accident conditions of transport according to the IAEA regulations without losing the required sealing function. Metal seals of the Helicoflex® type are often used to ensure required package leak tightness for both storage and transport, including transport after long term interim storage. The poster will provide an overview of requirements during a seal qualification process on the example of a Helicoflex® type metal seal. T2 - 21st International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials, PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas , US DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Spent fuel transport KW - Seals KW - Radioactive KW - Containment PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 5 AN - OPUS4-63911 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ruiz-Hervias, J. A1 - Simbruner, Kai A1 - Cristobal-Beneyto, M. A1 - Perez-Gallego, D. A1 - Zencker, Uwe T1 - Failure mechanisms in unirradiated ZIRLO® cladding with radial hydrides N2 - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between hydride morphology, in particular the presence of radial hydrides (RHs), stress state and failure mechanisms associated with the ring compression test (RCT). Samples of ZIRLO®cladding were pre-hydrided and subjected to thermo-mechanical treatments to precipitate long radial hydrides. The results show that the reorientation treatment was very successful. A considerable fraction of RHs was generated, the radial hydride continuity factor being around 80 to 90% of the wall thickness. The samples with reoriented hydrides were tested using the RCT at room temperature. Macroscopic brittle failure was observed with sudden load drops for displacements around 0.5 mm, with a calculated “offset strain”between 0.5 and 1%. Crack nucleation occurs in RHs located in regions with the highest values of hoop stress. These locations are the inner diameter of cladding at the vertical plane of the sample (12 and 6 o’clock positions) and the outer diameter at the horizontal plane (3 and 9 o’clock positions). Noticeable load drops in the RCT are associated with unstable crack propagation events through the radial hydride network, the crack front reaching up to 90% of the wall thickness in some cases. The failure micro-mechanism is quasi-cleavage in the hydrides and micro-void nucleation, growth and coalescence in the Zr matrix, with ductile tearing patches connecting neighboring hydrides. The main conclusion is that radial hydride metrics is not the only parameter that determines cladding failure in the presence of RHs, but the interaction between the location and continuity of RHs and the stress normal to the hydride (the hoop stress in this case). Consequently, if a radial hydride is located at a position within the cladding where the hoop stress is small, a crack will not be initiated easily in the RCT. KW - ZIRLO® KW - Cladding Embrittlement KW - Radial Hydrides KW - Failure Mechanism KW - Ring compression test PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152668 SN - 0022-3115 VL - 544 SP - 152668 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-52000 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Sagradov, Ilja T1 - Long-term tests on metal seals using continuous force measurement in compressed state N2 - In Germany, spent fuel and heat generating radioactive waste is stored in casks for transport and storage (DPCs). The storage licenses were granted for up to 40 years. Due to the delay in identifying a final repository site for such radioactive waste, the storage periods are to be extended significantly. The objective of our research work is to collect additional material data for metal seals in order to be able to better assess the long-term safety of the sealing system of the casks for a period of up to 100 years. A principal safety consideration for the DPCs is the long-term performance of bolted lid sealing systems utilizing metal seals to ensure the safe enclosure of the radioactive inventory during interim storage. To assess the sealing behavior, it is necessary to examine the aging-dependent residual restoring force for the metal seals and the usable resilience. By investigating the change in these values as a function of time and temperature, further insight can be gained into the assessment of long-term safety for extended interim storage. In the present study, the restoring force of metal seals with an outer aluminum jacket and a torus diameter of 9.9 mm was measured continuously. For this purpose, a specially designed device equipped with a load cell was used under isothermal conditions. As part of the investigation, the level and rate of decrease of the restoring seal force were recorded over test periods of one and two months. The seal temperature was set to 35 °C, 75 °C, 100 °C, 125 °C, and 150 °C, respectively. A direct correlation was observed between the temperature of the seal, the level of the restoring force after compressing and heating the seal, and the drop-off characteristics of the restoring force. It was found that in our test device the force level immediately after reaching the respective temperature is lower for higher seal temperatures, while the drop rate of the restoring force is higher. This paper describes the experimental setting and discusses first results in comparison with our long-term discontinuous measurements. T2 - 21st International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Long-Term Safety Assessment KW - Extended Interim Storage KW - Metal Seal Aging KW - Restoring Force Degradation KW - Temperature-Dependent Performance PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63880 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Sagradov, Ilja T1 - Long-term tests and numerical simulations on metal seals based on continuous force measurement in compressed state N2 - In Germany, the search for a disposal site for heat-generating radioactive waste will take decades longer than originally assumed. Transport and storage casks must therefore ensure safe containment for extended interim storage periods, possibly over 100 years. In order to maintain the required leak tightness, spring core metal seals with aluminum or silver cladding are used. As sealing force decreases over time, BAM has been conducting tests for over 15 years to prove their long-term reliability. This work - a joint project of BASE and BAM - aims to obtain additional material data using a new device for continuous measurement of compression force over time and temperature for lifetime prediction models and is supported by FEM simulations. Initial tests on aluminum and silver seals have been completed, and first results are presented. T2 - safeND 2025 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 17.09.2025 KW - Interim storage KW - Metal seal KW - Restoring force PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64991 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Sagradov, Ilja T1 - Long-term tests on metal seals using continuous force measurement in compressed state N2 - In Germany, spent fuel and heat generating radioactive waste is stored in casks for transport and storage (DPCs). The storage licenses were granted for up to 40 years. Due to the delay in identifying a final repository site for such radioactive waste, the storage periods are to be extended significantly. The objective of our research work is to collect additional material data for metal seals in order to be able to better assess the long-term safety of the sealing system of the casks for a period of up to 100 years. A principal safety consideration for the DPCs is the long-term performance of bolted lid sealing systems utilizing metal seals to ensure the safe enclosure of the radioactive inventory during interim storage. To assess the sealing behavior, it is necessary to examine the aging-dependent residual restoring force for the metal seals and the usable resilience. By investigating the change in these values as a function of time and temperature, further insight can be gained into the assessment of long-term safety for extended interim storage. In the present study, the restoring force of metal seals with an outer aluminum jacket and a torus diameter of 9.9 mm was measured continuously. For this purpose, a specially designed device equipped with a load cell was used under isothermal conditions. As part of the investigation, the level and rate of decrease of the restoring seal force were recorded over test periods of one and two months. The seal temperature was set to 35 °C, 75 °C, 100 °C, 125 °C, and 150 °C, respectively. A direct correlation was observed between the temperature of the seal, the level of the restoring force after compressing and heating the seal, and the drop-off characteristics of the restoring force. It was found that in our test device the force level immediately after reaching the respective temperature is lower for higher seal temperatures, while the drop rate of the restoring force is higher. This paper describes the experimental setting and discusses first results in comparison with our long-term discontinuous measurements. T2 - 21st International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Temperature-Dependent Performance KW - Extended Interim Storage KW - Long-Term Safety Assessment KW - Metal Seal Aging KW - Restoring Force Degradation PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63891 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Sagradov, Ilja T1 - Long-term tests on metal seals using continuous force measurement in compressed state N2 - In Germany, spent fuel and heat generating radioactive waste is stored in casks for transport and storage (DPCs). The storage licenses were granted for up to 40 years. Due to the delay in identifying a final repository site for such radioactive waste, the storage periods are to be extended significantly. The objective of our research work is to collect additional material data for metal seals in order to be able to better assess the long-term safety of the sealing system of the casks for a period of up to 100 years. A principal safety consideration for the DPCs is the long-term performance of bolted lid sealing systems utilizing metal seals to ensure the safe enclosure of the radioactive inventory during interim storage. To assess the sealing behavior, it is necessary to examine the aging-dependent residual restoring force for the metal seals and the usable resilience. By investigating the change in these values as a function of time and temperature, further insight can be gained into the assessment of long-term safety for extended interim storage. In the present study, the restoring force of metal seals with an outer aluminum jacket and a torus diameter of 9.9 mm was measured continuously. For this purpose, a specially designed device equipped with a load cell was used under isothermal conditions. As part of the investigation, the level and rate of decrease of the restoring seal force were recorded over test periods of one and two months. The seal temperature was set to 35 °C, 75 °C, 100 °C, 125 °C, and 150 °C, respectively. A direct correlation was observed between the temperature of the seal, the level of the restoring force after compressing and heating the seal, and the drop-off characteristics of the restoring force. It was found that in our test device the force level immediately after reaching the respective temperature is lower for higher seal temperatures, while the drop rate of the restoring force is higher. This paper describes the experimental setting and discusses first results in comparison with our long-term discontinuous measurements. T2 - 21st International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Long-Term Safety Assessment KW - Extended Interim Storage KW - Metal Seal Aging KW - Restoring Force Degradation KW - Temperature-Dependent Performance PY - 2025 VL - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 CY - Indianapolis, IN, USA AN - OPUS4-63881 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schilling, O. A1 - Neumann, Martin T1 - System of Quality Assurance Measures in Manufacturing and Operation of Dual Purpose Casks for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High Level Waste in Germany N2 - German spent nuclear fuel and high level waste is stored in dry conditions in interim storage facilities until a final repository will be ready for operation in the future. Dual purpose casks are used for the packaging of the materials to ensure transportability at any time during long-term interim storage and fulfilling both requirements from interim storage as well as transport. Germany’s 2011 decision to phase out utilization of nuclear energy has led to a high demand for casks for decommissioning power plants as quickly as possible. Cask serial production will continue at a high level for the next few years. In the process, a system of quality assurance measures ensures that every cask reliably complies with design specification according the transport approval certificate and storage license. When the first casks were manufactured in Germany about 40 years ago, quality assurance was oriented towards pressure vessel and general nuclear manufacturing. The system was continuously adapted to the state of the art. In particular serial production, globalization of manufacturing and deep supplier chains had to be taken into account. The system of quality assurance measures applied today for cask manufacturing shall be presented here. The quality assurance measures can be categorized as system-related and design-related. With respect to transport regulations for example, they are independently approved and monitored by the competent authority BAM and its authorized inspection experts. The qualification of the applicant is reviewed first in the context of the design approval procedure and then periodically. The qualification of component and cask manufacturers is also checked at the start of manufacturing and then periodically. Before the start of manufacturing documents such as quality plans are pre-assessed. Manufacturing and inspection are then performed according to the pre-assessed documents. Cask manufacturing is completed by a final inspection before commissioning. Periodic inspections during operation ensure preservation of the properties specified in the approval certificate over package life time. The type and the time interval of periodic inspections depend on the use of the package. For transport after interim storage a system of specific tests and inspections is prescribed. T2 - 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 22) CY - Juan-les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Radioactive material KW - Quality Assurance Measures KW - Dual Purpose Casks KW - Independent Surveillance PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57705 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schubert, Sven T1 - Introduction of the German Ageing Management Guide for Packages for Transport of Radioactive Materials – BAM-GGR 023 N2 - BAM-GGR 023 was published in June 2022 BAM-GGR 023 gives guidance to applicants regarding ageing management for competent authority approved package designs Ageing management with evaluation of ageing mechanisms according to para 613A of IAEA SSR-6 (Rev. 1) and their effects are part of the general management system. Essential items are: AMS (systemic-related), AMP (package design-related) and AMD (package-related) There are different requirements for organization and extent of ageing management depending on type of use There are also different requirements for ageing evaluation depending on type of use for packaging/package, classification of components and their accessibility and replaceability T2 - PATRAM22 CY - Juan-les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Package KW - Ageing KW - Mechanism KW - Management KW - Guide PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57821 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schubert, Sven T1 - BAM-GGR 023 - Ageing Management for CA Approved RAM Transport Packages N2 - The consideration of ageing mechanisms is with integration into the IAEA-requirements now obligatory for the design of transport packages. 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 are required. Therefore, these packages have been maintained during storage in a manner that all requirements specified in the IAEA-requirements and in the applicable certificates of approval have been fulfilled. BAM is the competent authority in Germany for evaluating the thermal and mechanical design of packages for the transport of radioactive materials. In this context, BAM also evaluates the aging mechanisms and aging effects occurring during the long-term storage period of such transport packages. BAM has developed a guideline for the implementation of ageing assessment and of the measures for ageing management into the approval procedure based on IAEA-requirements. The goal of the presented paper is to introduce this guideline and the general approach for ageing management requirements and to describe the application to a specific package design. The type and amount of the ageing management not only depend on the use of the packaging, but also on the accessibility of the components that are considered in the ageing assessment. The different operating phases of a packaging are considered for the ageing assessment, such as loading, interim storage or transport. The implementation of measures for ageing management is divided into three levels – systemic measures, package design related measures and documentation. The systemic measures are attributed to the general management system and define the whole activities for organization of ageing management like structure, responsibilities, documentation, reports and evaluation. The package design related measures are defined in an ageing management plan. These measures shall ensure that the anticipated changes of the package design under consideration of ageing effects still complies with the design approval specification. Therefore, an ageing surveillance program and, if necessary, a gap analysis program shall be developed. The ageing management documentation ensures the continuous documentation of the compliance of a specific package to the approved package design, comprising mainly records resulting from operation and surveillance. T2 - RAMTRANS 2024 CY - London, United Kingdom DA - 15.05.2024 KW - Radioactive Materials KW - Ageing Management KW - Transport Packages KW - Dual Purpose Casks PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60177 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schubert, Sven A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Reichardt, Adrian A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Ageing management measures of transport packages for radioactive materials N2 - The consideration of ageing mechanisms is with integration into the IAEA-requirements now obligatory for the design of transport packages. 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 are required. Therefore, these packages have been maintained during storage in a manner that all requirements specified in the IAEA-requirements and in the applicable certificates of approval have been fulfilled. BAM is the competent authority in Germany for evaluating the thermal and mechanical design of packages for the transport of radioactive materials. In this context, BAM also evaluates the aging mechanisms and aging effects occurring during the long-term storage period of such transport packages. BAM has developed a guideline for the implementation of ageing assessment and of the measures for ageing management into the approval procedure based on IAEA-requirements. The goal of the presented paper is to introduce this guideline and the general approach for ageing management requirements and to describe the application to a specific package design. The type and amount of the ageing management not only depend on the use of the packaging, but also on the accessibility of the components that are considered in the ageing assessment. The different operating phases of a packaging are considered for the ageing assessment, such as loading, interim storage or transport. The implementation of measures for ageing management is divided into three levels – systemic measures, package design related measures and documentation. The systemic measures are attributed to the general management system and define the whole activities for organization of ageing management like structure, responsibilities, documentation, reports and evaluation. The package design related measures are defined in an ageing management plan. These measures shall ensure that the anticipated changes of the package design under consideration of ageing effects still complies with the design approval specification. Therefore, an ageing surveillance program and, if necessary, a gap analysis program shall be developed. The ageing management documentation ensures the continuous documentation of the compliance of a specific package to the approved package design, comprising mainly records resulting from operation and surveillance. T2 - RAMTRANS 2024 CY - London, United Kingdom DA - 15.05.2024 KW - Radioactive Materials KW - Ageing Management KW - Transport Packages KW - Dual Purpose Casks PY - 2024 VL - 2024 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Nuclear Institute CY - London AN - OPUS4-60186 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 - Schubert, Sven A1 - Reichardt, Adrian A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Introduction of the German ageing management guide for packages for transport of radioactive materials N2 - The consideration of ageing mechanisms is with integration of the new para 613A into IAEA SSR-6 (Rev. 1) now obligatory for the design of transport packages. In addition, para 809(f) 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 all packaging components and radioactive contents have been maintained during storage in a manner that all requirements specified in IAEA 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 a guideline for the implementation of ageing assessment and of the measures for ageing management of the approval procedure based on requirements of IAEA SSR-6 (Rev.1). The guideline is applicable only for packages requiring a competent authority approval. The paper aims to describe the structure of the guideline and the general approach for ageing management requirements. The type and amount of measures for ageing management depend mainly on the use of the package and on the ageing effects for the component, which result from relevant ageing mechanisms during package operation time. The implementation of measures for ageing management is divided into three levels – systemic measures, package design related measures and documentation. The systemic measures are attributed to the general management system and define the whole activities for organization of ageing management like structure, responsibilities, documentation, reports and evaluation. The package design related measures are defined in an ageing management plan (AMP). These measures shall ensure that the anticipated changes of the package design under consideration of ageing effects still complies with the design approval specification. Therefore, an ageing surveillance program (ASP) and, if necessary, a gap analysis program shall be developed. The ageing management documentation (AMD) ensures the continuous documentation of the compliance of a specific package to the approved package design, comprising mainly records resulting from operation and surveillance. T2 - PATRAM22 - 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - Juan-les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Guide KW - Ageing KW - Mechanism KW - Package KW - Management PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - World Nuclear Transport Institute (WNTI) CY - London AN - OPUS4-57770 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schubert, Sven A1 - Reichardt, Adrian A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Neumann, Martin T1 - Introduction of an ageing management approach for packages for the transport of radioactive materials N2 - With integration of the new para 613A into SSR-6 [1] the consideration of ageing mechanisms is now obligatory for the design of packages and their approval. In addition, para 809(f) of SSR-6 [1] requires consideration of the effects of storage on ageing mechanisms, safety analyses and operation and maintenance instructions. German competent authorities Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) and Bundesamt für die Sicherheit der nuklearen Entsorgung (BASE) are considering the aspect of ageing in approval procedures. Ageing assessment is mainly focused on dual purpose casks (DPC) package designs which are long-term stored in interim storage facilities. For these package designs, the evaluation of ageing management is now mandatory for the maintenance of the package design approvals with a validity period of 5 years and beyond. The ageing management includes amongst others a gap analysis, the assessment of ageing effects and operational experiences during operation and interim storage. BAM works on the compilation of a guideline for implementation of paras 613A, 809(f) and 809(k) for packages requiring competent authority approval at the application procedure in Germany. The paper describes essential items of ageing mechanisms and will give a foresight to the ageing management evaluation by BAM. T2 - INMM & ESARDA Joint Annual Meeting CY - Online meeting DA - 30.08.2021 KW - Dual purpose casks KW - Ageing KW - SSR-6 KW - Interim storage KW - Ageing mechanisms KW - Transport of radaioactive materials PY - 2021 UR - https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/10383/presentation/964 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) CY - Mount Laurel, NJ AN - OPUS4-53180 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Simbruner, Kai T1 - Brittle failure analysis of spent fuel zirconium alloy claddings during long-term dry interim storage - Current approach at BAM N2 - Understanding the mechanical behaviour of fuel cladding is decisive for an extended dry interim storage period beyond the currently licensed period of 40 years in Germany and subsequent handling, transport, and disposal considering normal and accidental conditions. Since fuel cladding acts as the first barrier for spent fuel, its integrity should be demonstrated to enable safe and secure discharge and handling options after interim storage and subsequent transportation in preparation of final disposal. An established method for characterizing cladding material is the Ring Compression Test (RCT), where a small, cylindrical sample of the cladding tube is subjected to a compressive load. This test is a laboratory representation of a fuel rod load case and has shown a high susceptibility to failure under the occurrence of radial hydrides. Certain hydride morphologies and low temperature might even lead to brittle fracture at very small loads. The BAM research project BRUZL (Fracture mechanical analysis of spent fuel claddings during long-term dry interim storage) aims to study the results of quasi-static RCTs and to establish numerical models to gain an in-depth understanding of the stress state during the experiments. Using a fracture mechanical approach, cases of sudden failure during the RCT procedure are used to characterize the material behaviour and establish a failure criterion. As an integral part of the project BRUZL, quasi-static Ring Compression Tests have been performed to identify all experimental details, which might be helpful for numerical modelling. Unirradiated samples of the cladding material ZIRLO® have been subjected to hydrogen charging and a thermo-mechanical treatment for radial hydride reorientation. Sample preparation, testing procedures, and analysis results are presented. A numerical model has been established and an elastic-plastic material model was derived from as-received RCT samples by inverse finite element analyses. Cohesive zone modelling has been implemented to reproduce sudden load drops during RCT. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) under contract no. 1501561. T2 - Kolloquium der Abteilung 3 CY - Online meeting DA - 05.11.2020 KW - Ageing Management KW - Cladding Embrittlement KW - Extended Storage KW - Ring Compression Test KW - Spent Nuclear Fuel PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51987 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Simbruner, Kai T1 - Embrittlement of Spent Fuel Claddings ‒ Results of Ring Compression Tests N2 - An established method for characterizing cladding material is the Ring Compression Test (RCT), where a small, cylindrical sample of the cladding tube is subjected to a compressive load. This test is a laboratory representation of a fuel rod load case and has shown a high susceptibility to failure under the occurrence of radial hydrides. Certain hydride morphologies and low temperature might even lead to brittle fracture at very small loads. The BAM research project BRUZL (Fracture mechanical analysis of spent fuel claddings during long-term dry interim storage) aims to study the results of quasi-static RCTs and to establish numerical models to gain an in-depth understanding of the stress state during such experiments. Using a fracture mechanical approach, cases of sudden failure during the RCT procedure are used to characterize the material behaviour and establish a failure criterion. As an integral part of the project BRUZL, quasi-static Ring Compression Tests have been performed to identify all experimental details, which might be helpful for numerical modelling. Unirradiated samples of the cladding material ZIRLO® have been subjected to hydrogen charging and a thermo-mechanical treatment for radial hydride reorientation. Sample preparation, testing procedures, and analysis results are presented. A numerical model has been established and an elastic-plastic material model was derived from as-received RCT samples by inverse finite element analyses. Cohesive zone modelling has been implemented to reproduce sudden load drops during RCT. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) under contract no. 1501561. T2 - 4th GRS Workshop on Safety of Extended Dry Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel CY - Online meeting DA - 03.06.2020 KW - Ageing Management KW - Cladding Embrittlement KW - Extended Storage KW - Ring Compression Test KW - Spent Nuclear Fuel PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51988 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Simbruner, Kai T1 - Embrittlement of Spent Fuel Claddings – Fracture Mechanical Evaluation and Failure Criteria N2 - The BAM research project BRUZL (Fracture mechanical analysis of spent fuel claddings during long-term dry interim storage) evaluates results of quasi-static Ring Compression Tests (RCT). Due to its simple realisation, the RCT is an established method for characterising the mechanical behaviour of fuel cladding, where a small tube sample is subjected to a compressive load and the relation between load and displacement is obtained. During tests at room temperature, unirradiated ZIRLO® samples with a distinct extend of radial hydrides have shown high susceptibility to sudden, brittle failure at relatively small loads. Hydride morphology and radial hydride metrics have been an integral part of the characterisation of degradation mechanisms of cladding. A software tool for the analysation of metallographic micrographs was developed. The program allows the automated calculation of hydride lengths, detection of continuous hydride structures, their statistical evaluation and visualisation. Numerical models have been established to reproduce experimental RCT results featuring an elastic-plastic material model, which was derived from inverse finite element analyses of as-received RCT samples. A cohesive zone model (CZM) is introduced to the model to reproduce load drops in the linear regime of the load vs. displacement curve. Using a traction-separation approach for the CZM, the cohesive parameters are fitted to match numerical and experimental results yielding the fracture mechanical material properties. Combining the three key aspects hydride morphology, fracture mechanics and RCT stress-state a failure criterion can be established as a result of the BRUZL project. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) under contract no. 1501561. T2 - 5th GRS Workshop on Safety of Extended Dry Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel CY - Online meeting DA - 09.06.2021 KW - Ageing Management KW - Cladding Embrittlement KW - Extended Storage KW - Ring Compression Test KW - Spent Nuclear Fuel PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53779 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Simbruner, Kai T1 - Embrittlement of Spent Fuel Claddings - Micromechanically Motivated Cohesive Zone Modelling N2 - Since cladding acts as the first barrier for nuclear fuel, it is key to understand the degrading mechanisms leading to cladding embrittlement. Zirconium alloy based cladding samples subjected to simulated pre-storage drying conditions have shown high susceptibility to brittle failure under the occurrence of hoop stress and low temperature as expected after long-term interim storage. The stress state associated with a compressive pinch-load scenario is reproduced by the Ring Compression Test (RCT), which results in sudden failure at relatively small mechanical loads with high sensitivity to the presence of radial hydrides. As part of the BAM research project BRUZL (Fracture mechanics analysis of spent fuel claddings during long-term dry interim storage), static RCTs were conducted on non-irradiated, pre-hydrided ZIRLO® ring-shaped samples that were subjected to a radial hydride treatment. All samples failed in macroscopically brittle fashion with sudden load drops and severe crack propagation through almost the entire wall thickness. In a post-RCT examination of the fracture surfaces using scanning electron microscopy, radial hydrides could be identified as the weakest link of the structure. However, the microscopic failure mechanism is much more complex due to cracks initiating at different axial positions in depth direction of the ring, overlapping cracks, and arresting cracks. A considerable portion of the fracture surfaces appeared to have undergone plastic deformation of the zirconium matrix resulting in void growth and coalescence associated with ductile failure. The geometry of the ductile patches was measured, and the ductile surface fraction was determined. Based on these observations, a statistical model was developed that can reproduce the composition of the fracture surface as a one-dimensional projection. A micromechanically motivated cohesive zone model (CZM) was implemented in existing RCT finite element analysis (FEA) models with different constitutive laws for brittle hydrides and ductile matrix respectively. In this work, FEA results are presented for non-irradiated ZIRLO® and high-burnup M5® claddings. The impact of varying hydride-matrix combinations is discussed. Acknowledgement: The project was funded by the former Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) under contract no. 1501561. T2 - 6th GRS Workshop on the Safety of Extended Dry Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel CY - Garching, Germany DA - 01.06.2022 KW - Ageing Management KW - Cladding Embrittlement KW - Extended Storage KW - Ring Compression Test KW - Spent Nuclear Fuel PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55023 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Simbruner, Kai T1 - Brittle Failure Analysis of High-Burnup PWR Fuel Cladding Alloys N2 - The general aim of this research is the development of methods for predicting mechanical behavior and identification of limiting conditions to prevent brittle failure of high-burnup (HBU) pressure water reactor (PWR) fuel cladding alloys. A finite element (FE) model of the ring compression test (RCT) was created to analyze the failure behavior of zirconium-based alloys with radial hydrides during the RCT. An elastic-plastic material model describes the zirconium alloy. The stress-strain curve needed for the elastic-plastic material model was derived by inverse finite element analyses. Cohesive zone modeling is used to reproduce sudden load drops during RCT loading. Based on the failure mechanism in non-irradiated ZIRLO® claddings, a micro-mechanical model was developed that distinguishes between brittle failure along hydrides and ductile failure of the zirconium matrix. Two different cohesive laws representing these types of failure are present in the same cohesive interface. The key differences between these constitutive laws are the cohesive strength, the stress at which damage initiates, and the cohesive energy, which is the damage energy dissipated by the cohesive zone. Statistically generated matrix-hydride distributions were mapped onto the cohesive elements and simulations with focus on the first load drop were performed. Computational results are in good agreement with the RCT results conducted on high-burnup M5® samples. It could be shown that crack initiation and propagation strongly depend on the specific configuration of hydrides and matrix material in the fracture area. T2 - 26th International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology - SMiRT 26 CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 10.07.2022 KW - Cladding Embrittlement KW - Ring Compression Test KW - Cohesive Zone Modelling KW - Spent Nuclear Fuel PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55435 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Simbruner, Kai A1 - Billone, Michael C. A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Liu, Yung Y. A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Brittle failure analysis and modeling of high-burnup PWR fuel cladding alloys N2 - The aim of this research is the development of methods for predicting mechanical behavior and identification of limiting conditions to prevent brittle failure of high-burnup (HBU) pressure water reactor (PWR) fuel cladding alloys. A finite element (FE) model of the ring compression test (RCT) was created to analyze the failure behavior of zirconium-based alloys with radial hydrides during the RCT. An elastic-plastic material model describes the zirconium alloy. The stress-strain curve needed for the elastic-plastic material model was derived by inverse finite element analyses. Cohesive zone modeling is used to reproduce sudden load drops during RCT loading. Based on the failure mechanism in non-irradiated ZIRLO® claddings, a micro-mechanical model was developed that distinguishes between brittle failure along hydrides and ductile failure of the zirconium matrix. Two different cohesive laws representing these types of failure are present in the same cohesive interface. The key differences between these constitutive laws are the cohesive strength, the stress at which damage initiates, and the cohesive energy, which is the damage energy dissipated by the cohesive zone. Statistically generated matrix-hydride distributions were mapped onto the cohesive elements and simulations with focus on the first load drop were performed. Computational results are in good agreement with the RCT results conducted on high-burnup M5® samples. It could be shown that crack initiation and propagation strongly depend on the specific configuration of hydrides and matrix material in the fracture area. KW - Cladding KW - Radial hydrides KW - Ring compression test KW - Cohesive zone model PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1515/kern-2024-0109 SN - 2195-8580 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Walter de Gruyter GmbH AN - OPUS4-62409 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sjöland, A. A1 - Christensen, P. A1 - Zetterström Evins, L. A1 - Bosbach, D. A1 - Duro, L. A1 - Farnan, I. A1 - Metz, V. A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Ruiz-Hervias, J. A1 - Rodriguez-Villagra, N. A1 - Kiraly, M. A1 - Schillebeeckx, P. A1 - Rochman, D. A1 - Seidl, M. A1 - Dagan, R. A1 - Verwerft, M. A1 - Herranz Puebla, L. E. A1 - Hordynskyi, D. A1 - Feria, F. A1 - Vlassopoulos, E. T1 - Spent nuclear fuel management, characterisation, and dissolution behaviour: progress and achievement from SFC and DisCo N2 - SFC is a work package in Eurad that investigates issues related to the properties of the spent nuclear fuel in the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Decay heat, nuclide inventory, and fuel integrity (mechanical and otherwise), and not least the related uncertainties, are among the primary focal points of SFC. These have very significant importance for the safety and operational aspect of the back-end. One consequence is the operation economy of the back-end, where deeper understanding and quantification allow for significant optimization, meaning that significant parts of the costs can be reduced. In this paper, SFC is described, and examples of results are presented at about half-time of the work package, which will finish in 2024. The DisCo project started in 2017 and finished in November 2021 and was funded under the Horizon 2020 Euratom program. It investigated if the properties of modern fuel types, namely doped fuel, and MOX, cause any significant difference in the dissolution behavior of the fuel matrix compared with standard fuels. Spent nuclear fuel experiments were complemented with studies on model materials as well as the development of models describing the solid state, the dissolution process, and reactive transport in the near field. This research has improved the understanding of processes occurring at the interface between spent nuclear fuel and aqueous solution, such as redox reactions. Overall, the results show that from a long-term fuel matrix dissolution point of view, there is no significant difference between MOX fuel, Cr+Al-doped fuel, and standard fuels. KW - Spent nuclear fuel management KW - Spent fuel characterization KW - Dissolution behaviour PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-572461 DO - https://doi.org/10.1051/epjn/2022029 SN - 2491-9292 VL - 9 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis Cedex, France AN - OPUS4-57246 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GOVDOC A1 - Sterthaus, Jens T1 - Guideline for numerical safety analyses in the context of type approval of packages for the transport of radioactive material N2 - The guideline serves to support quality assurance in preparation, control and assessment of safety cases based on a numerical analysis of problems that are part of the scope of testing and assessment of package designs for the transport of radioactive materials. In particular, it is intended to form the basis for the correct performance of numerical analyses in accordance with the state of the art and to support the verifiability of the numerical safety case. Its application should ensure the traceability of the calculation procedure and the preconditions and assumptions on which the calculations are based. KW - Simulation KW - FEM KW - Assessment KW - Verification KW - Validation KW - Documentation KW - Calculation KW - Quality assurance KW - Numerically verified proof PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-652167 VL - BAM-GGR 008 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin ET - Revision 1 AN - OPUS4-65216 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Vlassopoulos, Efstathios A1 - Dagan, Ron A1 - Fiorito, Luca A1 - Herm, Michel A1 - Jansson, Peter A1 - Kromar, Marjan A1 - Király, Márton A1 - Leppanen, Jaakko A1 - Feria Marquez, Francisco A1 - Metz, Volker A1 - Papaioannou, Dimitrios A1 - Herranz, Luis Enrique A1 - Rochman, Dimitri A1 - Schillebeeckx, Peter A1 - Seidl, Marcus A1 - Hernandez Solis, Augusto A1 - Stankovskiy, Alexey A1 - Alvarez Velarde, Francisco A1 - Verwerft, Marc A1 - Rodriguez Villagra, Nieves A1 - Wiss, Thierry A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Žerovnik, Gasper T1 - EURAD Work Package 8 Deliverable 8.2 Updated State-of-the-Art Report N2 - The state-of-the-art (SOTA) report offers an overview of the status of knowledge in the area of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) characterisation and assessment during the pre-disposal phase using several numerical and experimental approaches and methodologies. A review on characterisation of SNF properties in terms of source term and inventory assessment (neutron, gamma-ray emission, decay heat, radionuclide inventory, and elemental content) and in terms of out-of-core fuel performance (cladding performance and fuel integrity in view of the safety criteria for SNF interim storage, transport and canister packaging) is presented. This updated SOTA report provides the progress made in the spent fuel characterisation (SFC) work package as part of the European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management (EURAD), documents the identified technical gaps, and provides recommendations for future work. The report is expected to be used by all EURAD colleagues in their national programmes as a key resource for knowledge management programmes and to contribute to demonstrating and documenting the state-of-the-art. KW - Radioactive waste management KW - Spent fuel characterisation KW - Extended interim storage KW - Predisposal PY - 2024 UR - https://www.ejp-eurad.eu/publications/d82-updated-state-art-report SP - 1 EP - 182 AN - OPUS4-61218 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Update on the German Spent Fuel Management Strategy N2 - The presentation provides an update on the German spent fuel Management strategy in the areas of transportation, dry interim storage and deep geological disposal. T2 - IAEA 18th TWG-NFCO CY - Online meeting DA - 07.09.2020 KW - Spent nuclear fuel KW - Final disposal KW - Safety KW - Transport and storage cask PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51616 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Container requirements for high-level radioactive waste disposal in rock salt, claystone, and crystalline rock – Outcomes of the research project KoBrA N2 - Suitable containers for receiving high-level radioactive waste are a key elements of every repository system concerning different host rocks like rock salt, claystone and crystalline rock as being considered in Germany. The disposal container design is decisive regarding boundary conditions for the transport, emplacement techniques, and the operational and long-term safety assessment. The systematic derivation of the requirements to be placed on disposal containers forms the basis for a targeted, comprehensible and transparent development of containers that meet the requirements. The presentation summarizes the outcomes of the research project KoBrA. T2 - IGD-TP Symposium CY - Zurich, Switzerland DA - 20.09.2022 KW - Disposal KW - Container KW - Radioactive waste KW - Safety PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-57021 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -