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 - Wille, Frank A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Scheidemann, Robert T1 - Test Facilities for Radioactive Materials Transport and Storage Packagings at BAM N2 - BAM acts as authority and for service in safety assessment of packages for transport and storage of radioactive materials. We offer extensive test capabilities and application of analytical methods for design verification and simulation for all types of packages for the transport and storage of radioactive materials according with the international IAEA Regulations for the safe transport and for national storage acceptance criteria. BAM operates several test facilities for drop and stacking testing, leak testing and thermal testing. The large drop test tower allows dropping full-scale specimens up to 200,000 kg in any drop orientation as requested. The comprehensive test facilities combined with long-term experience, newest equipment and measurement devices according to the latest state-of-the-art technology ensures realisation of complex test campaigns for package safety evaluation. Beyond that, non-destructive and destructive material test devices and experts are available. Equipment and application of all kinds of typical measurement categories can be offered for testing campaigns. In recent years we performed testing of full-scale type B package models with complex handling and preparation procedures. The results were contributed for different package design approval procedures. Type A packages mainly designed for medical related transport purposes, were continuously tested according to the transport regulations over recent years as well. Moreover, we work on research topics with relevance to package safety. The mechanical behaviour of lid closure systems under transport and storage conditions and the thermal behaviour of impact limiters were recently of special importance for the assessment competencies of BAM and were investigated under use of our test facilities. The paper describes the test facilities and capabilities for package design safety evaluation at BAM and shows examples from our recent work. T2 - PATRAM 2022, 20th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - Juan-les-Pins, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - IAEA KW - Fire test KW - Drop testing KW - Transport KW - Package PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 12 AN - OPUS4-57967 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Welding Seam Safety Evaluation in a Thick-Walled Type B Transport Package N2 - The safety demonstration of heavy weight type B transport packages used for storing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) or radioactive waste is ensured by a combination of physical testing and numerical calculations. While experiments are performed in accordance with the IAEA regulations for selected drop scenarios, Finite-Element-Method (FEM) simulations are used to predict the most damaging case and to investigate additional drop positions. BAM as competent authority in Germany has performed different investigations of a welding seam for a typical large transport package made of A508 forged steel, where the bottom plate is welded to the cylindrical shell. The package has a mass of approx. 120 t. Results of physical drop tests with a full-scale model and accompanying preliminary FEM simulations are presented to determine the decisive stresses in the welding seam. A drop test only represents one set of a package and test parameters. A further parameter analysis is considered to account for allowable variations of packaging properties (e.g. resulting from the manufacturing process) and, based on IAEA requirements, the temperature dependence of the material behaviour. The results of the stress analyses from the drop test and the simulation form the basis and provide the input parameters for a fracture mechanics analysis. In addition to the IAEA specifications, further standards are taken into account for an in-depth investigation, see R6 [1], BS 7910 [2] and API 579-1/ASME FFS1 [3]. All the above-mentioned standards require a manufacturer-specific defect analysis with respect to size and position. Both result from the welding process and the following heat treatment regime. The maximum defect sizes are ensured with non-destructive test methods (such as ultrasonic or particle methods) as integral part of the manufacturing process of the welding seam. Another important parameter in the welding process is the residual stress (secondary stress). The combination of the primary and secondary stress determines the total stress in the welding seam. The most damaging case of the welding seam is determined and evaluated with help of the abovementioned standards and taking into account the IAEA requirements with respect to defect sizes, material properties, primary and residual stress, yield strength etc. T2 - PATRAM 22 - The International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - Juan-Les-Pins, Antibes DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Welding KW - Transport Package KW - Fracture Mechanics PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 11 AN - OPUS4-59421 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Evaluation of Heat Fluxes in Fire Reference Test Conducted in BAM Propane Gas Fire Test Facility N2 - Packages for the transport of intermediate- and high-level radioactive waste are designed to withstand severe accidents. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has established specific mechanical and thermal tests. Packages for the transport of radioactive material must withstand these tests to comply with the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials IAEA [IAEA (2018)]. A fire reference package was developed with the primary objective to demonstrate that the fire meets the regulatory requirements. Another aim is to characterise the boundary conditions of the actual fire as input parameters for thermo-mechanical simulations. A simple method to characterise the boundary conditions of a real steady state fire with a fire reference package is presented. The thermal test mainly consists of a 30 minute fully engulfing 800°C pool fire or an equally severe fire, such as a propane gas fire. The fire reference tests are performed prior to the actual fire test with the real package. The heat fluxes into the package depend substantially on the fire characteristics and the surface temperature of the package. To investigate local and overall heat fluxes over a wide range of surface temperatures in this test facility a fire reference package was designed for repeated use. The fire reference package presented in this paper represents the outer geometry of a small transport container for radioactive material and is used as a device in civil engineering. It is designed as a closed steel sheet cylinder with a wall thickness of 10 mm, a length of 182 mm and a diameter of 102 mm. The package was instrumented with thermocouples and filled with heat resistant insulation material. Open-air fire tests were performed in a BAM propane gas fire test facility with the fire reference package. The measured temperatures are used to determine the changes of heat fluxes into the fire reference package in relation to the package surface temperature. The calculated heat fluxes allow its fitting to express the thermal exposure as simple mathematical boundary condition. Therefore, in a first approach, fire properties such as adiabatic surface temperature (AST) as proposed by Wickström et al. (2007), convection coefficient and emissivity are determined mathematically fitting the heat flux development presented in this paper. The evaluated results provide an initial picture of local fire characteristics of the conducted propane gas fire and are a further development of previous works from Feldkamp et al. (2020). The results can be used in thermal and thermo-mechanical models to simulate the load on the real transport package in fire. The test shows that the examined propane gas fire covers the IAEA-fire over a wide range of surface temperatures with the chosen test stand parameters. T2 - SMiRT 27 (27th conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology) CY - Yokohama, Japan DA - 03.03.2024 KW - Fire KW - Propane KW - Heat Flux KW - Fire Reference PY - 2024 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - IASMiRT AN - OPUS4-59679 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Schubert, Sven T1 - Neue Regel für das Alterungsmanagement N2 - Die Regelwerksanforderungen für Verpackungen für den Transport radioaktiver Stoffe basieren auf den Empfehlungen der IAEA und werden über die verkehrsträgerspezifischen internationalen Regelwerke in nationales Recht umgesetzt. Um die Anforderungen des Regelwerkes zu erläutern, entwickelt die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) Gefahrgutregeln (BAM-GGR), welche die Entwickler, Hersteller und Betreiber von Behältern über die von der BAM angewandten Verfahren bei der Umsetzung gesetzlicher Bestimmungen informieren und unterstützen sollen. KW - Gefahrgut KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Alterung KW - Transport PY - 2023 VL - 2023 IS - 9 SP - 16 EP - 18 PB - Heinrich Vogel CY - München AN - OPUS4-58577 LA - deu 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 - Wille, Frank T1 - Transport nach Zwischenlagerung, Besonderheiten des letzten Transports N2 - Transportierbarkeit von Transport- und Lagerbehältern für radioaktive Stoffe, welche nach eine längerfristigen trockenen Zwischenlagerung transportiert werden müssen. Überblick über die aktuellen Regelwerke und Richtlinien sowie die Zeitpläne für das Finden eines Endlagers für hochradioaktive Stoffe und die damit verbundene verlängerte Zwischenlagerung. Des Weiteren werden das für die verlängerte Zwischenlagerung notwendige Alterungsmanagement und die noch erforderlichen Forschungstätigkeiten vorgestellt. T2 - BGZ Fachworkshop Zwischenlagerung CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 16.11.2021 KW - Transportbehälter KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Transport KW - Zwischenlagerung KW - IAEA PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-60505 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Verkehrsrechtliche Betrachtungen Transport- und Lagerbehälter - Wo geht die Reise hin? N2 - Transportierbarkeit von Transport- und Lagerbehältern für radioaktive Stoffe, welche nach eine längerfristigen trockenen Zwischenlagerung transportiert werden müssen. Überblick über die aktuellen Regelwerke und Richtlinien sowie die Zeitpläne für das Finden eines Endlagers für hochradioaktive Stoffe und die damit verbundene verlängerte Zwischenlagerung. Des Weiteren werden das für die verlängerte Zwischenlagerung notwendige Alterungsmanagement und die noch erforderlichen Forschungstätigkeiten vorgestellt. T2 - 10. Symposium Lagerung und Transport radioaktiver Stoffe CY - Hannover, Germany DA - 05.09.2023 KW - Transportbehälter KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Transport KW - Zwischenlagerung KW - IAEA PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-60506 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Wille, Frank ED - Czarwinski, R. T1 - Radioaktive Stoffe in besonderer Form-wichtige Aspekte im Zulassungsverfahren N2 - Für die Beförderung von umschlossenen radioaktiven Stoffen (Strahler) können Transporterleichterungen gelten, wenn das Strahlerdesign nachweislich unfallsicher ausgelegt ist und eine Zulassung als radioaktiver Stoff in besonderer Form vorliegt. Die in Deutschland zuständige Behörde für die Prüfung und Zulassung radioaktiver Stoffe in besonderer Form ist die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM). Eine oft langfristige Nutzung der Strahler kann eine alterungsbedingte Schwächung der Umschließung des radioaktiven Stoffes zur Folge haben. Jeder Strahler einer zugelassenen Bauart muss jedoch im Beförderungsfall zu jeder Zeit, auch nach längerer Nutzung, den vorgeschriebenen Prüfanforderungen genügen. Die Alterungsbewertung auf der Grundlage einer vom Antragsteller zu spezifizierenden Nutzungsdauer des radioaktiven Stoffes in besonderer Form ist seit langer Zeit Bestandteil des Zulassungsverfahrens in Deutschland. Ein von Deutschland eingebrachter Vorschlag im Rahmen der anstehenden Revision der IAEA Empfehlungen für die sichere Beförderung von radioaktiven Stoffen (SSR-6) soll die Lesbarkeit des Regelwerkes bezüglich der Alterungsbewertung verbessern, Klarheit über die damit verbundenen Anforderungen erzeugen und damit zu einer Harmonisierung der Zulassungsverfahren auf internationaler Ebene beitragen. In diesem Beitrag sollen wichtige Einflussfaktoren auf das Alterungsverhalten von radioaktiven Stoffen in besonderer Form aufgezeigt und die Notwendigkeit für die Spezifikation einer Nutzungsdauer als Grundlage für die Alterungsbewertung begründet werden. Der deutsche Vorschlag für die Revision des IAEA Regelwerks zum sicheren Transport radioaktiver Stoffe (SSR-6) wird vorgestellt und erläutert. T2 - Jahrestagung des FS 2022 CY - Konstanz, Germany DA - 26.09.2022 KW - Strahlenschutz KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Beförderung KW - Zulassung PY - 2022 SN - 1013-4506 SP - 15 EP - 20 PB - Fachverband für Strahlenschutz e.V. CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-56134 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF 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 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 e 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 AN - OPUS4-61353 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 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Musolff, André A1 - Werner, Jan A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Enhancement of Fire Test Stand Performance at Test Site of BAM: Installation and Evaluation of an Augmented System with a Fire Reference Package N2 - Packages for the transport of radioactive material are designed to en-dure severe accidents. Packages for the transportation of radioactive material must demonstrate that the package can withstand certain prescribed tests from the IAEA Regulations [1]. In addition to mechanical tests, a thermal test in form of a fire test must be carried out. As packages to be tested at BAM are signifi-cantly larger than previous package designs, BAM has expanded an existing fire test stand. A modular concept is chosen, which means that the arrangement of the burner nozzles can be adapted to the test specimen. The dimensions of the burner rings, the type, the orientation and the number of burner nozzles can be varied depending on the test specimen. In addition, various pumps can be used to set the corresponding mass flow. With the help of a calorimeter test, the fire test stand can be qualified for a specific size of packages regarding the boundary conditions of the IAEA Regulations [1]. Due to the typically wood filled impact limiters in German package designs, a fire test is necessary, as experiments have shown that possible openings that occurred during a mechanical test contributed to the igni-tion of the wood filled impact limiters within the prescribed 30 minutes of the IAEA Regulations [1]. From a series of experiments, two experiments are pre-sented to show the possibilities to obtain different temperatures and temperature rates in the test specimen. In addition to sensor data, the heat flux into the package is calculated to verify that the IAEA boundary conditions are satisfied. In addition to the temperature data, other data such as wind speed and wind direction are also recorded to explain subsequent effects in the measurement data in a comprehen-sible manner. T2 - Wood & Fire Safety 2024 CY - Strbske Pleso, Slowakei DA - 13.05.2024 KW - IAEA Regu-lations KW - Fire Test Stand KW - Accident Scenario KW - Fire Qualification PY - 2024 UR - https://link.springer.com/book/9783031591761 SN - 978-3-031-59176-1 SN - 978-3-031-59179-2 SN - 978-3-031-59177-8 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-59177-8_22 VL - 1 SP - 189 EP - 197 PB - Springer Cham AN - OPUS4-60101 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 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Combustion Chamber Design for Encapsulated Wood-Component Testing N2 - Heavy-weight packages for the safe transport of radioactive material are equippedwith impact limiters often built ofwood-filled steel sheet structures to fulfil the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations. The requirements definemechanical tests followed by a thermal test, including criteria ensuring the package design’s ability to withstand severe accidents and provide a high level of technical safety. Impact limiters are a package component mainly designed for the packages to withstand severe mechanical accident scenarios. In drop tests the impact limiters absorb the kinetic energy during impact of the package. The package must then - with its pre-damaged impact limiters - endure a thermal test defined precisely in the IAEA regulations as a 30-min fully engulfing 800 °C-fire. After the fire, a wood-filled impact limiter may continue to release thermal energy from an ongoing combustion process, defining relevant package temperatures. The energy flow from a possible burning impact limiter to the package is important for the safety evaluation of transport packages. To investigate the combustion behaviour of densely packed layers of spruce wood, encapsulated in pre-damaged cylindrical metal enclosures, a test set-up has been realised. The set-up consists of a combustion chamber to perform these tests under defined boundary conditions. The temperature development of the test specimens will be observed fromoutside with a thermographic imager, with HD-Cameras, and the mass loss will be measured during the entire test. Airflow conditions in the combustion chamber are analysed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations in OpenFOAM. The planned combustion test setup is described. T2 - Wood & Fire Safety 2024 CY - Štrbské Pleso, Slovakia DA - 12.05.2024 KW - Fire KW - Combustion KW - Smouldering PY - 2024 SN - 978-3-031-59176-1 SN - 978-3-031-59179-2 SN - 978-3-031-59177-8 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-59177-8 SP - 215 EP - 222 PB - Springer Nature Switzerland AG CY - Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland AN - OPUS4-60226 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Apel, Andreas A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Moutarde, M. A1 - Sert, G. A1 - Caillard-Lizot, M.-T. A1 - Eckert, B. A1 - Konnai, A. A1 - Pstrak, D. A1 - Harvey, J. A1 - Desnoyers, B. A1 - Purcell, P. A1 - Fiaccabrino, V. T1 - Stowage during transport: a proposal for harmonization N2 - For stowage and retention during transport, the International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA) Transport regulations (SSR-6) only require that the package shall be securely stowed. Additional information is given in the IAEA guidance material (SSG-26), that includes specific load factors that should be considered in the safety demonstrations. Nevertheless, applicants commonly use other load factors to justify the design of the packaging attachment points. In particular, acceleration values vary between different countries and this may lead to difficulties during the validation of foreign approval certificates. Discussions with applicants identified that the load factors presented in the IAEA guidance material are not necessarily relevant for the different transport modes. For some modes, the load factors are representative of situations occurring in routine conditions of transport. For other modes, the load factors are more representative of situations occurring in normal or accident conditions of transport. Furthermore, the origins of the specified values are not clear. In this context, some IAEA TRANSSC members decided to review the stowage guidance. An international working group was constituted in 2013, including representatives of competent authorities, technical support organizations, and transport stakeholders. Several topics were discussed and many questions were raised during the two year review. For example, some discussions focused on Paper No.1031 2 the conditions which have to be considered for stowage design, both as relevant to the load factors used for strength and fatigue analysis, as well as the criteria which have to be considered for the package attachment points. In addition, related questions on operational aspects were also discussed. Overall, the working group concluded that new guidance material was warranted as input into SSG-26. As a result of those discussions, the international working group produced new guidance material for stowage in transport, addressing each of these topics. The proposal to modify the IAEA guidance material (SSG-26, Appendix IV), presented by France to the TRANSSC in the 2015 initiated Review cycle of the Regulations, was unanimously accepted and will be implemented in the next edition of the guidance material. T2 - PATRAM 2016 CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Packages for radioactive material KW - IAEA regulations (SSR-6, SSG-26) KW - Tie-down and stowage KW - Load cases for transport KW - Design of the packaging attachment points PY - 2016 SP - Paper 1031, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-38644 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Droste, Bernhard T1 - Aspects of spent fuel behavior assessment for transport packages N2 - Transport packages for spent nuclear fuel have to be assessed with respect to specific transport conditions which are defined in the safety regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. In general, gastight fuel rods constitute the first barrier of the containment system. The physical state of the spent fuel and the fuel rod cladding as well as the geometric configuration of the fuel assemblies are important inputs for the evaluation of the package safety under transport conditions. The objective of this paper is to discuss the methodologies accepted by BAM for the authority assessment of spent fuel behavior within the package design approval procedure of German package designs. In particular, cracks or failures in the fuel rod cladding can occur under regulatory transport conditions. These defects can cause the release of gas, volatiles, fuel particles or fragments into the package cavity and have to be considered properly in the safety analysis. Another issue is the transport of defective fuel rods. One concept is to use special canisters which can be handled like fuel assemblies. This concept requires additional assessment concerning drying, sealing and the mechanical and thermal design of such canisters. The package as a mechanical system is characterized by a complex set of interactions, e.g. between the fuel rods within the assembly as well as between the fuel assemblies, the basket, and the cask containment. This complexity together with the limited knowledge about the material properties and the variation of the fuel assemblies regarding cladding material, burn-up and the operation history makes an exact mechanical analysis of the fuel rods nearly impossible. The simplified approaches to consider conservatively spent fuel behavior currently accepted by BAM are presented here. T2 - International Conference on Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors - An Integrated Approach to the Back-End of the Fuel Cycle CY - Wien, Austria DA - 15.06.2015 KW - Transport packages KW - Spent fuel assessment PY - 2015 SP - 1 AN - OPUS4-38102 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Nehrig, Marko A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Linnemann, Konrad T1 - Effects of additional gases resulting from residual water inside ILW packages N2 - Packages for intermediate level waste (ILW) often contain residual water besides the actual waste. The water either exists as obvious free water or it may be bound physically or chemically, e.g. as pore water. A water driven gas generation could occur by vaporisation and by radiolysis. Steam as the result of vaporisation causes an increasing pressure inside a package and can affect corrosion. Vaporisation and condensation processes itself change the thermal behavior of the content especially during strongly unsteady thermal situations like accident fire situations. Radiolysis changes the chemical composition of the content which could cause an unexpected interaction, e.g. hydrogen embrittlement. Besides the pressure build-up the radiolysis of water generates hydrogen and oxygen, which can be highly flammable respectively explosive. The gas generation caused by vaporisation and radiolysis must be taken into account during the design and the safety assessment of a package. Pressure build-up, a changed thermal behavior and content chemistry, and especially the risk of accumulation of combustible gases exceeding the limiting concentration for flammability has to be considered in the safety assessment. Approaches to ensure the transportability of stored packages due to radiolysis will be discussed. T2 - ASME 2016 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP2016) CY - Vancouver, BC, Canada DA - 17.07.2016 KW - Radioactive material KW - Pressure build-up KW - Gas generation PY - 2016 SN - 978-0-7918-5045-9 VL - 7 SP - Paper 63008, 1 EP - 6 AN - OPUS4-38451 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Droste, Bernhard T1 - Gap analysis by periodical reviews of transport package design safety reports of German SNF/HLW dual purpose casks N2 - Storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste in dual purpose casks (DPC) is related with the challenge of maintaining safety for transportation over several decades of storage. Beside consideration of aging mechanisms by appropriate design, material selection and operational controls to assure technical reliability by aging management measures, an essential issue is the continuous control and update of the DPC safety case. Not only the technical objects are subject of aging but also the safety demonstration basis is subject of “aging” due to possible changes of regulations, standards and scientific/technical knowledge. The basic document, defining the transport safety conditions, is the package design safety report (PDSR) for the transport version of the DPC. To ensure a safe transport in future to a destination which is not known yet (because of not yet existing repository sites) periodical reviews of the PDSR, in connection with periodic renewals of package design approval certificates, have to be carried out. The main reviewing tool is a gap analysis. A gap analysis for a PDSR is the assessment of the state of technical knowledge, standards and regulations regarding safety functions of structures, systems and components. T2 - 18th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM2016 CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Radioactive material KW - Gap analysis KW - Periodical review KW - Approved packages PY - 2016 SP - Paper 5004, 1 EP - 9 AN - OPUS4-37641 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Droste, Bernhard T1 - Introduction of BAM safety assessment experience feedback list N2 - BAM as competent authority regarding assessment of mechanical and thermal design, activity release and quality assurance aspects of SNF and HLW transport packages developed a thesaurus of experience feedback topics from recent approval procedures. The list is structured according to the European PDSR guide. It involves issues, which from BAM point of view, needed clarification during last package design assessment procedures. The list contains issues from operation (e.g. deactivation of handling lugs not intended for package handling), maintenance (e.g. leak tightness of impact limiting devices) to technical assessment (e.g. formation of hydrogen by radiolysis and its impact on pressure and ignitability, consideration of ageing mechanisms, thermo-mechanical assessment, impact of gaps between content and flask, spent fuel behaviour) as well as to general and specific safety analysis report requirements (e.g. report structure and required data). T2 - PATRAM 2016 CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Experience feedback list KW - Radioactive material KW - Transport PY - 2016 UR - http://www.patram2016.org/ SP - Paper 4002, 1 AN - OPUS4-37850 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Nehrig, Marko A1 - Bletzer, Claus A1 - Musolff, André A1 - Erenberg, Marina A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Behaviour of Wood Filled Impact Limiters during Fire Test N2 - Packages for the transport of radioactive material are often equipped with impact limiters consisting of wood, encapsulated by steel sheets. These impact limiters shall ensure the transport cask meets the mechanical and thermal IAEA regulatory test requirements. After damage caused by the mechanical tests the package has to withstand a severe fire scenario. According to the regulations during and following the thermal test, the specimen shall not be artificially cooled and any combustion of materials of the package shall be permitted to proceed naturally. Corresponding to results of the French institute IRSN combustion and smouldering of wood inside the impact limiter occurred during and after the fire test. An additional energy supply from a pre-damaged impact limiter to the cask could be the consequence for the safety assessment of the containment. BAM started a first test phase to examine the issue of combustion for such kind of package components. The goal was to understand the phenomena under the consideration of relevant regulatory boundary conditions. Several metal buckets were filled with wood and equipped with thermocouples. The test specimens have been prepared with different damage arrangements to take the influence of the mechanical tests into account. This paper shows the experimental setup and the conduction of the tests. The first test shows that pre-damaged metal encapsulations can lead to smouldering of the wood and with this to a supplement energy release after the end of the 30 minute fire. BAM is in the preparation process for a second test phase. A thermal test will take place with a wood filled test specimen weighing about 2Mg. T2 - The 18th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 2016) CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Large scale testing KW - Fire test KW - Impact limiter KW - Shock absorber KW - Thermal test KW - Typ-B KW - Wood KW - Smouldering PY - 2016 SP - paper no. 1011 AN - OPUS4-37854 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Zur Prüfung verpflichtet - Die BAM-Gefahrgutregel 016 (BAM-GGR 016) N2 - Im Gegensatz zu den zulassungspflichtigen Versandstücken für die gemäß der gefahrgutrechtlichen Regelwerksanforderungen eine behördlich ausgestellte Zulassung erforderlich ist, ist für die prüfpflichtigen Versandstücke lediglich eine behördliche Anerkennung und Überwachung des Managementsystems für die Auslegung, Herstellung, Prüfung, Dokumentation, den Gebrauch, die Wartung und Inspektion erforderlich. In der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ist gemäß den Festlegungen in der Gefahrgutverordnung Straße, Eisenbahn und Binnenschifffahrt die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) zuständig für die Anerkennung und Überwachung von Managementsystemen. KW - Gefahrgut KW - Radioaktive Stoffe KW - Normen KW - Regeln PY - 2018 SN - 0944-6117 VL - 2018 IS - 1-2 SP - 10 EP - 12 PB - Springer Fachmedien München GmbH CY - München AN - OPUS4-44168 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Gröke, Carsten A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Assessment of quality management for transport packages not requiring authority design approval N2 - The majority of transports of radioactive materials are carried out in packages which don’t need a package design approval of a competent authority. Low active radioactive materials are transported in such kind of packages e.g. in the medical and pharmaceutical industry and in the nuclear industry as well. In Germany the decision to phase out nuclear energy leads to a strong demand for packages to transport low and middle active radioactive waste due to the dismantling and decommissioning of nuclear power plants. According to IAEA regulations the “non-competent authority approved package types” are the excepted packages and the industrial packages of Type IP-1, IP-2 and IP-3 and of Type A. For the packages of Type IP-2, IP-3 and Type A an assessment by the German competent authority is required for the quality management for the design, manufacture, testing, documentation, use, maintenance and inspection. In general a compliance audit of the manufacturer of the packaging is required during this assessment procedure. T2 - Waste Management Conference 2018 CY - Phoenix, USA DA - 18.3.2018 KW - Radioactive material KW - Quality management system KW - Transport packages PY - 2018 SP - Article 18194, 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-44170 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Considerations on spent fuel behavior for transport after extended storage N2 - Packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel shall meet the International Atomic Energy Agency regulations to ensure safety under different transport conditions. The physical state of spent fuel and the fuel rod cladding as well as the geometric configuration of fuel assemblies are important inputs for the evaluation of package capabilities under these conditions. In this paper, the mechanical behavior of high burn-up spent fuel assemblies (> approx. 50 GWd/tHM, value averaged over the fuel assembly) under transport conditions is analyzed with regard to the assumptions which are used in the Containment and criticality safety analysis. In view of the complexity of the interactions between the fuel rods as well as between the fuel assemblies, basket, and cask containment, the exact mechanical analysis of such phenomena is nearly impossible. Additionally, the gaps in information concerning the material properties of cladding and pellet behavior, especially for the high burn-up fuel, make the analysis more complicated. Considerations and knowledge gaps for the transport after extended interim storage are issues of growing interest. In this context, practical approaches are discussed based on the experience of BAM within the safety assessment of packages approved for transport of spent nuclear fuel. KW - Transport packages for radioactive material KW - Spent nuclear fuel PY - 2018 VL - 83 IS - 6 SP - 488 EP - 494 PB - Hanser AN - OPUS4-47359 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Erenberg, Marina A1 - Bletzer, Claus A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Musolff, André A1 - Nehrig, Marko A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Experimental investigations of the burning behaviour of transport package impact limiters and of fire spread impact onto the cask N2 - Accident safe packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste shall fulfil international IAEA safety requirements. Compliance is shown by consecutive mechanical and thermal testing. Additional numerical analysis are usually part of the safety evaluation. For damage protection some package designs are equipped with wood filled impact limiters encapsulated by steel sheets. The safety of these packages is established in compliance with IAEA regulations. Cumulative mechanical and fire tests are conducted to achieve safety standards and to prevent loss of containment. Mechanical reliability is proven by drop tests. Drop testing might cause significant damage of the impact limiter steel sheets and might enable sufficient oxygen supply to the impact limiter during the fire test to ignite the wood filling. The boundary conditions of the fire test are precisely described in the IAEA regulatory. During the test the impact limiter will be subjected to a 30 minute enduring fire phase. Subsequent to the fire phase any burning of the specimen has to extinguish naturally and no artificial cooling is allowed. At BAM a large-scale fire test with a real size impact limiter and a wood volume of about 3m3 was conducted to investigate the burning behaviour of wood filled impact limiters in steel sheet encapsulation. The impact limiter was equipped with extensive temperature monitoring equipment. Until today burning of such impact limiters is not sufficiently considered in transport package design and more investigation is necessary to explore the consequences of the impacting fire. The objective of the large scale test was to find out whether a self-sustaining smouldering or even a flaming fire inside the impact limiter was initiated and what impact on the cask is resulting. The amount of energy, transferred from the impact limiter into the cask is of particular importance for the safety of heavy weight packages. With the intention of heat flux quantification a new approach was made and a test bench was designed. T2 - ASME 2018 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference CY - Prague, Czech Republic DA - 15.07.2018 KW - Shock absorber KW - Impact limiter KW - Wood KW - Thermal testing KW - Fire KW - Smoldering KW - IAEA KW - Fire test PY - 2018 SN - 978-0-7918-5170-8 VL - PVP2018 SP - 84714-1 EP - 84714-10 AN - OPUS4-46984 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Spent fuel behavior under Transport Conditions N2 - German packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel are assessed with respect to specific transport conditions which are defined in the safety regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. In general, gastight fuel rods constitute the first barrier of the containment system. The physical state of the spent fuel and the fuel rod cladding as well as the geometric configuration of the fuel assemblies are important inputs for the evaluation of the package safety under transport conditions. The objective of this paper is to discuss the methodologies accepted by German authority BAM for the evaluation of spent fuel behavior within the package design approval procedure. Specific test conditions will be analyzed with regard to assumptions to be used in the activity release and criticality safety analysis. In particular the different failure modes of the fuel rods, which can cause release of gas, volatiles, fuel particles or fragments, have to be properly considered in these assumptions. The package as a mechanical system is characterized by a complex set of interactions, e.g. between the fuel rods within the assembly as well as between the fuel assemblies, the basket, and the cask containment. This complexity together with the limited knowledge about the material properties and the variation of the fuel assemblies regarding cladding material, burn-up and the operation history makes an exact mechanical analysis of the fuel rods nearly impossible. The application of sophisticated numerical models requires extensive experimental data for model verification, which are in general not available. The gaps in information concerning the material properties of cladding and pellets, especially for the high burn-up fuel, make the analysis more complicated additionally, and require a conservative approach. In this context some practical approaches based on experiences by BAM within safety assessment of packages for transport of spent fuel will be discussed. Ongoing research activities to investigate SNF mechanical behavior in view of gas and fissile material release under transport loads are presented. T2 - IRSN Conference on Safe Transport of Radioactive Material CY - Fontenay aux Roses, France DA - 13.11.2018 KW - ENSA KW - SNL KW - Real transport KW - IAEA KW - Drop test KW - Multi-Modal Transportation Test KW - Radioactive KW - ACT KW - NCT KW - Hot cell KW - Activity release KW - Fuel rod KW - Fuel rods KW - Burn-up KW - Cladding alloy KW - Criticality safety analysis KW - Containment analysis KW - Fuel assemblies KW - Spent fuel PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-46880 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Neumeyer, Tino A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Application of leakage rates measured on scaled cask or component models to the package containment safety assessment N2 - The containment systems of transport casks for spent fuel and high radioactive waste usually include bolted lids with metallic or elastomeric seals. The mechanical and thermal loadings associated with the routine, normal and accident conditions of transport can have a significant effect on the leak tightness of such containment system. Scaled cask models are often used for providing the required mechanical and thermal tests series. Leak tests have been conducted on those models. It is also common practice to use scaled component tests to investigate the influence of deformations or displacements of the lids and the seals on the standard leakage rate as well as to study the temperature and time depending alteration of the seals. In this paper questions of the transferability of scaled test results to the full size design of the containment system will be discussed. T2 - ASME 2018 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference CY - Prag, Czech Republic DA - 15.08 2018 KW - Containment KW - Spent fuel KW - Leakage rate PY - 2018 VL - 7 SP - PVP2018-84089, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-46533 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Weber, Mike A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Zencker, Uwe T1 - Numerical approach to determine the correct puncture bar length for the IAEA puncture bar drop test N2 - Among other mechanical tests the 1 meter drop onto a steel puncture bar shall be considered for accident safe packages for the transport of radioactive material. According with the IAEA regulations “the bar shall be of solid mild steel of circular section, 15.0 ± 0.5 cm in diameter and 20 cm long, unless a longer bar would cause greater damage…”. The most damaging puncture bar length can be estimated by iterative processes in numerical simulations. On the one hand, a sufficient puncture bar length has to guarantee that shock absorbers or other attachments do not prevent or reduce the local load application to the package, on the other hand, a longer and thus less stiff bar causes a smaller maximum contact force. The contrary influence of increasing puncture bar length and increasing effective drop height shall be taken into account if a shock absorber is directly placed in the target area. The paper presents a numerical approach to identify the bar length that causes maximum damage to the package. Using the example of two typical package masses the sensitivity of contact forces and puncture bar deformations to the initial length are calculated and assessed with regard to the international IAEA package safety requirements. T2 - ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference 2018 CY - Prague, Czech Republic DA - 15.07.2018 KW - Length of puncture bar KW - Mechanical assessment KW - Numerical simulation KW - Puncture bar test KW - Transport of radioactive materials PY - 2018 SP - PVP2018-84614, 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-46538 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Neumeyer, Tino A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Application of leakage rates measured on scaled cask or component models to the package containment safety assessment N2 - The mechanical and thermal loadings associated with the routine, normal and accident conditions of transport can have a significant effect on the leak tightness of the containment system of transport casks for spent fuel and high radioactive waste. The containment systems of such transport casks usually include bolted lids with metallic or elastomeric seals. Scaled cask models are often used for providing the required mechanical and thermal tests series. Leak tests have been conducted on those models. It is common practice to use scaled component tests to investigate the influence of deformations or displacements of the lids and the seals on the standard leakage rate as well as to study the temperature and time depending alteration of the seals. In this paper questions and open points of the transferability of scaled test results to the fullscale design of the containment system will be discussed. T2 - 11th International Conference on the Transport, Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Materials CY - London, UK DA - 15. Mai 2018 KW - Transport packages KW - Radioactve KW - Seals KW - Leakage rate PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-46734 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Schönfelder, Thorsten A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Wille, Frank ED - Müller, Lars T1 - Assessment experience on packages loaded with damaged spent nuclear fuel for transport after storage N2 - In 2017 the first German package approval certificate was issued for a dual purpose cask (DPC) design with encapsulated damaged spent nuclear fuel. At the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) a comprehensive assessment procedure was carried out with respect to the mechanical and thermal design, the containment design and quality assurance for manufacturing and operation. Main objective of this procedure was to verify the Package Design Safety Report (PDSR) fulfils the requirements according to the IAEA regulations SSR-6. Until now only standard spent nuclear fuel assemblies were designated for interim storage and transports. Due to nuclear phase out in Germany all other kinds of SNF in particular damaged fuel has to be packed. Therefore specific requirements have to be considered in accordance with international experiences written in IAEA technical reports. In Germany damaged spent nuclear fuel (DSNF) needs a tight encapsulation with special encapsulations and clearly defined properties. Due to the limited amount of DSNF these encapsulations are designed for storage and transport in existing packages. From the assessment experience it has been seen, corresponding PDSR need an extensively expansion to cover the design of these encapsulations and their influences on the package. Then such well-defined encapsulations can be handled like standard fuel assemblies. The main difference to standard package components is, encapsulations with permanent closure achieve their specified condition not after manufacturing but only during operation after loading and closing. Thus specific handling instruction and test procedures are necessary especially for welding, where BAM is able to survey the quality of this first part of operation. T2 - 11th International Conference on the Transport, Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Materials CY - London, UK DA - 15.05.2018 KW - Assessment KW - Dual purpose cask KW - Spent nuclear fuel PY - 2018 SP - Paper 18524, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-45258 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Revision of IAEA Guidance Material for Package Load Attachment Points N2 - For transport operations according IAEA regulations SSR-6, the package shall be securely stowed and the package shall be capable to withstand specific effects, e.g. accelerations, during routine transport conditions. The supporting IAEA Advisory Material SSG-26 provides information how to do that. General information and detailed load factors for use in safety demonstrations are provided. Up to now package designers in different countries use other load factors for the design of attachment points than those specified in the IAEA guidance material. In particular the acceleration factors vary between different countries and lead to difficulties during the validation of foreign approval certificates. The background of the existing guidance including specified load values was not clear enough. The application of specified values and the boundary conditions, i.e. transport conditions, seemed to be improvable. The IAEA started a discussion process to review the existing guidance text. An international working group was constituted in 2013. Representatives came from different stakeholders, e.g. transport operators, competent authorities and modal organizations. The discussions concluded especially on the transport conditions which has to be considered for stowage design, including on the one hand the relevance of the load factors used for strength and fatigue analysis and, on the other hand the criteria which have to be considered for the attachment points. In addition, complementary questions relative to the operational aspects were discussed. Revised load values for different transport modes were proposed. The values are derived from standards and include safety factors now. As a result of those discussions, the international working group wrote new guidance material for stowage in transport, addressing all the previously quoted topics. T2 - WM2018 Conference CY - Phoenix, Arizona, USA DA - 18.03.2018 KW - Acceleration values KW - IAEA regulations KW - Routine conditions of transport PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-44866 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Bauartprüfung von Transportbehältern für verglaste Abfälle aus der Wiederaufarbeitung N2 - Aufgrund zwischenstaatlicher Verträge werden in den nächsten Jahrzehnten zahlreiche Transporte von hoch radioaktiven Abfällen notwendig. Die BAM führt die Bauartprüfung von dafür vorgesehenen Castor-Behältern durch. In diesem Zusammenhang sind 17 Fallprüfungen durchgeführt worden. Ergänzt werden diese durch komplexe numerische Analysen, die die BAM prüft und eigene Modellierungen vornimmt. Der Beitrag stellt darüber hinaus das mehrjährige Validierungsverfahren zur Akzeptanz der bruchmechanischen Berechnungswerkzeuge vor. T2 - VdTÜV Forum Kerntechnik CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 16.04.2018 KW - Transport KW - Bauartprüfung KW - Fallprüfungen KW - Radioaktive Stoffe PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-44853 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Nehrig, Marko A1 - Musolff, André A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Experience by BAM in the transport package safety assessment of German waste containers N2 - Transport and storage containers for low and midlevel radioactive waste are getting more and more of relevance due to the nuclear phase out decision in 2011. For higher activities Type B(U) approved waste containers will be needed for the shut down and dismantling phases of NPPs. It is expected that large quantities are required in the near future. German waste containers are generally approved for transport and interim storage and are also intended for the final disposal in the Konrad repository. BAM is involved in the authority licensing of transport package designs in Germany. In this context, BAM is responsible for the assessment of safe containment, mechanical, thermal and quality management issues. BAM also operates test facilities and performs drop as well as thermal tests during package licensing procedures. This paper summarizes our experience in the transport package design assessment of Type B(U) waste containers. A general overview of the approval process, the requirements and approaches BAM applies are described. Some examples are used to illustrate different aspects and technical issues we are addressing during the package assessment. In the first part of the paper the specific design aspects of German waste containers are described. Here, a general overview is given e.g. about closure systems, impact limiter designs, and the handling concepts. Furthermore, the wide range of radioactive content and their physical behavior including the impact on the packages assessment are described. The second part is focused on questions about the licensing and assessment process of German waste containers from the BAM authority point of view. The general approaches for the strategy of demonstration are outlined on the basis of the test conditions according to IAEA Regulations SSR-6. Furthermore, particular issues of the mechanical and thermal assessment with respect to the specific test conditions are discussed. For accident conditions of transport, aspects to be mentioned are e.g. the assessment of the lid bolts, the axial gap applied between content and lid, and the thermal behavior of the wood filled impact limiter after the fire test. However, issues of the assessment for routine and normal conditions of transport are addressed in this paper, too. The intention of this paper is introduce recent approval procedure experience in Germany, describing technical evaluation issues and so reduce rounds of questions during applications. T2 - 2018 WM Symposia CY - Phoenix, AZ, USA DA - 18.03.2018 KW - Transport packages KW - Safety assessment KW - Lowlevel and midlevel radioactive waste PY - 2018 SP - Paper 18469, 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-44861 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Sterthaus, Jens A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Nasyrow, R. A1 - Papaioannou, D. A1 - Rondinella, V. A1 - Vlassopoulos, E. A1 - Pautz, A. T1 - Finite element modeling of spent fuel rod segments under bending loads N2 - Transport packages for spent nuclear fuel have to be assessed with respect to specific transport conditions which are defined in the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The physical state of the spent fuel and the fuel rod cladding as well as the geometric configuration of the fuel assemblies are important Inputs for the evaluation of the package capabilities under These conditions. Cracks or failures in the fuel rod cladding can cause the release of gas, volatiles or fuel particles into the cavity. The amount of substances in the cavity has to be considered in the assessment of the activity release and criticality safety. The mechanical analysis of the compound system formed by the fuel rod cladding and the spent fuel pellets is very difficult due to the limited knowledge of the material properties and the insufficient understanding of the interaction between pellets and cladding and between adjacent pellets. The variation of fuel assembly properties regarding cladding material, burn-up and the history of usage makes reliable predictions of the fuel rod behavior even harder. For a better understanding about the behavior of spent fuel rods, JRC and BAM have started a joint research project. In this context, JRC has developed a test device which allows quasi-static 3-point-bending test on fuel rod segments in the hot cell. The loads are applied with respect to the boundary conditions of the activity release assessment. This paper deals with the numerical calculation of a single fuel rod segment under bending load. The aim is to identify the governing mechanical parameters by the variation of constitutive assumptions, contact conditions, inner constraints, etc. This knowledge helps for the interpretation of the experimental results. Furthermore, the improved understanding about the behavior of the cladding-pellets system will be beneficial for the assessment of spent fuel transport conditions. T2 - SMIRT24 - 24th Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology CY - Busan, Korea DA - 20.08.2017 KW - Finite element methods KW - Spent fuel assessment KW - Transport packages PY - 2017 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-45316 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Nehrig, Marko A1 - Wille, Frank ED - Saegusa, Toshiari ED - Sert, Gilles ED - Völzke, Holger ED - Wille, Frank T1 - Internal Pressure build-up of Waste Packages with Wet Contents Under Fire Impact N2 - Intermediate level waste often contains residual water or other liquids. The liquids can be decomposed due to radiolysis and can also vaporize especially under fire impact. These pressure generating processes are described. One example for the pressure determination inside a closed cask is discussed using two different approaches: analytical and CFD KW - Wet Content KW - Pressure build-up KW - Type-B Package PY - 2018 SN - 978-981-3234-03-1 SP - 195 EP - 209 PB - World Scientific Publishing CY - Singapore ET - Erste AN - OPUS4-45301 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Nehrig, Marko A1 - Erenberg, Marina A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Bletzer, Claus A1 - Musolff, André A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Large Scale IAEA Thermal Test with Wood filled Impact Limiters N2 - Packages for the transport of radioactive material are often equipped with impact limiters consisting of wood. Mostly this wood is encapsulated by steel sheets. The impact limiters are needed to ensure that the transport casks meet the IAEA safety requirements. According to the IAEA safety requirements a package has to withstand consecutively severe mechanical tests followed by a thermal test. The mechanical tests have to produce maximum damage concerning the thermal test. Following this, the impact limiters may have serious pre-damage when the thermal tests begins. The IAEA safety requirements state that during and following the fire test, the specimen shall not be artificially cooled and any combustion of materials of the package shall be permitted to proceed naturally. Small scale fire tests with wood filled metal drums by BAM and works of the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) showed that pre-damaged steel encapsulated wooden structures could start smoldering initiated by the thermal test. These processes supply additional energy to the cask which should be considered within the safety assessment of the package. As not much is known about smoldering processes in encapsulated wooden structures with a reduced oxygen supply the need for a test was identified. To investigate the influence of a smoldering impact limiter concerning the amount of energy supplied to the cask in dependence of the time BAM conducted a large scale impact limiter thermal test. For that, a pre-damaged impact limiter with a diameter of 2,3 m was mounted on a water tank simulating a cask. A complex system of a regulated pump, a heater, a cooler, a slide valve, a flow meter and numerous thermocouples were installed and connected to a control unit to ensure all needed operating conditions. After a pre-heating compared to typical SNF decay-heat, the 30 min lasting fire phase of the thermal test was started. After that, the expected and initiated smoldering began. The results of the large scale test are presented in this poster. Systematic small scale tests will follow to identify the influence of different parameters, e.g. moisture content and scale effects. The tests took place at BAM Test Site for Technical Safety (TTS) with its various possibilities for mechanical and thermal tests. The results of these tests will have direct influence in the safety assessment of transport cask for the transport of radioactive material T2 - 2018 WM Symposia CY - Phoenix, AZ, USA DA - 18.03.2018 KW - Type-B Package KW - Thermal Test PY - 2018 SP - Paper 18257, 1 EP - 11 AN - OPUS4-45311 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Recent developments in standards and IAEA guidance material for package load attachment points N2 - For transport package design and operation according to IAEA regulations, the package shall be securely stowed and its retention system shall be capable to withstand load conditions of routine transport. The supporting IAEA Advisory Material SSG-26 provides information how to do that. Up to now package designers in different countries use other load factors for the design of attachment points than those specified in the IAEA guidance material. In particular the acceleration values vary between different countries and lead to difficulties during the validation of foreign approval certificates. Therefore the IAEA started a discussion process to review the existing guidance text. An international working group was constituted in 2013. Representatives came from different stakeholders, e.g. transport operators, competent authorities and modal organizations. The discussions concluded especially on the transport conditions which has to be considered for stowage design, including on the one hand the relevance of the load factors used for strength and fatigue analysis and on the other hand the criteria which have to be considered for the attachment points. Another standard with relevance to the load attachment of packages is ISO 10276. This standard deals with trunnion design, manufacturing and operational aspects. The regular standard revision phase started in 2017. An expert group discussed new state-of-the-art technology and proposed revised text for the ISO standard for international discussion. The paper describes relevant tie-down aspects, gives background argumentation, and tries to support harmonized application of the revised IAEA guidance material and future ISO 10276 standard. T2 - 11th International Conference on the Transport, Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Materials CY - London, UK DA - 15.05.2018 KW - Acceleration KW - Package design KW - ISO KW - Ladungssicherung PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45293 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Moutarde, M. A1 - Apel, Andreas A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Sterthaus, Jens T1 - Recent developments in standards and IAEA guidance material for package load attachment points N2 - For transport package design and operation according to IAEA regulations, the package shall be securely stowed and its retention system shall be capable to withstand load conditions of routine transport. The supporting IAEA Advisory Material SSG-26 provides information how to do that. Up to now package designers in different countries use other load factors for the design of attachment points than those specified in the IAEA guidance material. In particular the acceleration values vary between different countries and lead to difficulties during the validation of foreign approval certificates. Therefore the IAEA started a discussion process to review the existing guidance text. An international working group was constituted in 2013. Representatives came from different stakeholders, e.g. transport operators, competent authorities and modal organizations. The discussions concluded especially on the transport conditions which has to be considered for stowage design, including on the one hand the relevance of the load factors used for strength and fatigue analysis and on the other hand the criteria which have to be considered for the attachment points. Another standard with relevance to the load attachment of packages is ISO 10276. This standard deals with trunnion design, manufacturing and operational aspects. The regular standard revision phase started in 2017. An expert group discussed new state-of-the-art technology and proposed revised text for the ISO standard for international discussion. The paper describes relevant tie-down aspects, gives background argumentation, and tries to support harmonized application of the revised IAEA guidance material and future ISO 10276 standard. T2 - 11th International Conference on the Transport, Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Materials CY - London, UK DA - 15.05.2018 KW - Verzögerungswerte KW - Lastanschlag KW - Trunnion design KW - ISO KW - Retention PY - 2018 SP - 18511, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-45294 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Debruyne, M. A1 - Eckert, B. A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Gauthier, F. A1 - Le Bars, I. A1 - Cordier, N. A1 - Jouve, A.-C. T1 - Assessment of safety demonstrations relative to packages containing UF6 N2 - Specific attention should be paid on safety demonstrations transmitted by applicants in the case of approval request for the package designs containing enriched UF6. Concerning the shipment of enriched UF6, the package designs consist in general of a filled 30B cylinder surrounded by an overpack. The description of the content, considering the UF6 origin, i.e. natural or reprocessed, shall be clearly justified especially when the UF6 isotopic composition exceeds the limits specified in ASTM standards. Concerning the containment of the UF6, the applicant shall demonstrate in all conditions of Transport the leak-tightness of the valve and plug of the cylinders filled with enriched UF6. In this regard, when justifications are based on numerical calculations, the absence of contact between These components of the cylinder and the internal surfaces of the overpack after the regulatory drop tests shall be shown. In particular, absence of contact between the valve and any other component of the packaging shall be confirmed to respect the current IAEA regulations [3]. If complementary calculations show a contact between the plug and the internal surfaces of the overpack, additional tests are required to confirm that the strength resulting from this contact will not affect the plug leak-tightness. It can be noticed that the future revision of the IAEA regulations will include additional provision in case of contact of the plug with any other component of the packaging. In addition, the applicant shall demonstrate that the melting temperature of the valve, including the tinned joint, will not be exceeded during the regulatory fire test. Furthermore, the representativeness of the ballast used to simulate the behaviour of the UF6 loaded within the cylinder shall be justified if drop tests are performed. Finally, specific provisions relative to the use of plugs and the maintenance of cylinders should be included in the safety analysis reports. T2 - 11th International Conference on the Transport, Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Materials CY - London, UK DA - 15.05.2018 KW - Uranhexaflourid KW - Package safety KW - Valve KW - Drop testing KW - Radioactive material PY - 2018 SP - 18523, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-45295 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank ED - Saegusa, Toshiari ED - Sert, Gilles ED - Völzke, Holger ED - Wille, Frank T1 - Internal cask content collision during drop tests N2 - The interaction between the package lid system and internal Content during mechanical drop testing is a decisive matter in evaluating Impact loads and the safety of the package. In the case of movable contents ist impact onto the inner side of the package lid can cause additional load peaks on the lid and the lid bolts. Some aspects of this issue were discussed on the basis of experimental results from instrumented drop tests with transport casks and on the basis of analytical approaches. KW - Transport casks KW - Drop tests KW - Internal collision PY - 2018 SN - 978-981-3234-03-1 SP - Chapter 7, 103 EP - 120 PB - World Scientific Publishing CY - Singapore ET - 1 AN - OPUS4-47539 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - KI-unterstützte Begutachtung der Behältersicherheit N2 - Die BAM führt sicherheitswissenschaftliche Begutachtungen von Gefahrgutbehältern durch, die mechanische, thermische, abschirmende und transportbezogene Analysen sowie Materialbewertungen und experimentelle Prüfungen umfassen. Diese Begutachtungen basieren auf umfassenden Sicherheitsberichten und Betriebsdokumentationen, die zahlreiche verknüpfte Dokumente und Daten enthalten. Änderungen an Komponenten oder regulatorischen Vorgaben können große Auswirkungen auf den Prüfumfang haben. Das Projekt sieht vor, die Datenanalyse und -bereitstellung mittels KI-Ansätzen zu verbessern. Es sollen Methoden zur automatischen Analyse und Verknüpfung komplexer Dokumentationen entwickelt werden. Ziel ist es, die Effizienz und Sicherheit der Datenanalyse und späteren Sicherheitsbewertung zu steigern, menschliche Fehler zu minimieren und die Qualität der Sicherheitsbewertungen zu verbessern. Die Qualität der Datenbereitstellung aus Zeichnungen, Tabellen, Texten und Berechnungen ist entscheidend für die Verarbeitung digitaler Formate der Behälterdokumentation. Ein neuro-symbolischer KI-Ansatz kombiniert neuronale Netze und symbolische KI, um die komplexen Inhalte zu analysieren und zu verknüpfen, was für die spätere Sicherheitsbewertung der Gefahrgutbehälter entscheidend ist. In vortrainierten Large Language Models (LLMs) fehlen für diesen Anwendungsfall spezifische fachliche Daten zur Behältersicherheit was zu fehlerhaften Ergebnissen führen kann. Für die Datenbereitstellung und Analyse im Zuge einer Sicherheitsbewertung gilt es dieses auszuschließen. Hierzu soll die RAG-Architektur (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) im Zusammenspiel mit LLMs angewendet werden. Dieser neue Ansatz der natürlichen Sprachverarbeitung und generativen KI soll die Stärken vortrainierter Sprachmodelle mit Fachwissen und Informationen aus Datenbanken und Dokumentensammlungen kombinieren. Die generierten Ergebnisse sollen dabei zusammen mit den verwendeten Quellen bereitgestellt werden, um eine fundierte und nachvollziehbare Basis für die Sicherheitsbewertung bilden. T2 - Informationsaustausch zur verkehrsrechtlichen Aufsicht bei der Beförderung radioaktiver Stoffe CY - Bonn, Germany DA - 04.02.2025 KW - KI KW - RAG KW - LLM PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62538 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Experimental and Numerical Analyses for the Evaluation of Heat Fluxes of a Fire Reference Test N2 - Packages for the transport of high-level radioactive material are designed to endure severe accidents. To obtain approval, these transport packages must adhere to the specification-based criteria of the IAEA SSR-6. To ensure compliance with these requirements, specific mechanical and thermal tests need to be appointed with respect to the package type. Typically, IAEA SSR-6 prescribes mechanical tests followed by a thermal fire test as part of a cumulative test sequence. To approve the fire test, BAM uses a reference package representing the original package in its outer geometry for characterizing the actual fire and its impact on the package. This serves a dual purpose: it allows the precise adjustment of experimental parameters for the package design to be approved, and it provides input parameters for thermomechanical simulations, cf. With the help of this methodology for characterizing boundary conditions of the package, temperature evolutions within the reference package can be studied in a Finite-Element Analyses (FEA). This helps to compare the experiments with the numerical simulations on the case of the reference package, but also serves at the same time for preliminary simulations with the package design to be approved. The thermal test consists of a 30-minute fully engulfing 800°C pool fire or an equally severe fire, e.g. a propane gas fire. The fire reference test is performed prior to the regulatory fire test with the package design to be approved. The fire reference package in the described case is a closed sheet 316L steel cylinder with a wall thickness of 10 mm, a length of 182 mm, and a diameter of 102 mm. The package was instrumented with thermocouples and filled with heat resistant insulating material. T2 - ASME PVP 2024 CY - Bellevue, WA, USA DA - 28.07.2024 KW - Reference Test KW - Experimental KW - Numerical KW - Heat Flux PY - 2024 SN - 978-0-7918-8851-3 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-60848 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 - 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 - 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 - Baeßler, Matthias A1 - Herrmann, Ralf A1 - Hille, Falk A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Dynamisches Verhalten und Überwachung des Großen Fallturms der BAM in Horstwalde N2 - Falltürme sind Bauwerke, die als Versuchsanlagen sehr speziellen, impulsartigen Belastungen ausgesetzt sind. Am Fallturm auf dem Testgelände Technische Sicherheit (TTS) der BAM wurde bei Routineinspektionen eine Abnahme der strukturellen Integrität in Form von Vorspannungsverlusten in den Bolzen der Stahlverbindungen festgestellt. Um ein Verständnis für die zugrundeliegenden Trag- und Schädigungsmechanismen zu erlangen, wurde ein umfassendes Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) System geplant und am Bauwerk installiert unter Nutzung von digitalen Bauwerksmodellen. Für die Auslegung des Überwachungssystems, insbesondere aber zur Unterstützung der Untersuchung des Schädigungsprozesses, wurden Finite-Elemente-Modelle erstellt. Um sicherzustellen, dass die FE-Modelle das reale Tragwerksverhalten mit ausreichender Genauigkeit abbilden, mussten sie jedoch in Bezug auf die gemessenen Antworten des Tragwerks kalibriert werden. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschreibt experimentelle und numerische Untersuchungen zur Identifizierung des strukturellen Systems des Stahlrohrgitterturms in Vorbereitung einer Überwachungskampagne. Die Auswertung von gemessenen Schwingungen unter ambienter Anregung ermöglichte die Identifizierung der Eigenfrequenzen mehrerer globaler Schwingungsmoden des Fallturms. Zur Modellvalidierung wurde zunächst eine Sensitivitätsanalyse durchgeführt, um die Parameter mit dem größten Einfluss zu ermitteln. Anschließend wurde ein evolutionärer Algorithmus (EA) zur Optimierung nach dem Prinzip der Minimierung der Differenzen zwischen gemessenen und simulierten charakteristischen Antworten eingesetzt. Das aktualisierte Modell wurde schließlich an der dynamischen Reaktion der Turmstruktur infolge einer realen Falltest-induzierten Stoßbelastung validiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigten eine gute Übereinstimmung zwischen numerischen und experimentellen Ergebnissen. N2 - Drop test towers are structures subjected to very specific dynamic loadings. At the drop test tower at the Test Site Technical Safety (TTS) of BAM routine inspections revealed a decline of structural integrity in form of loss of pretension in bolts of structural steel connections. To get an understanding about the underlying damage mechanisms as well as to assure the structural safety in operation, a multifaceted Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system was planned and installed at the structure with the help of digital models. For planning the monitoring system but especially for supporting the investigation of the damaging process finite element models are deployed. Though, to ensure the capability of the FE model to reproduce the real structural behavior in sufficient accuracy, it needs to be calibrated in respect to measured responses of the structure. The present contribution describes experimental and numerical investigations to identify the structural system of the steel tube lattice tower in preparation of the monitoring campaign. An ambient vibration test allowed the identification of the natural frequencies of several global vibrational modes of the drop test tower. For model updating first a sensitivity analysis is applied to identify the most influencing parameter. In succession a genetic algorithm was applied for optimization in the sense of minimization of the difference between measured and simulated characteristic responses. The updated model is finally validated on the dynamic response of the tower structure to a real drop test induced impact loading. The results showed a good agreement between numerical and experimental results though the robustness of the simulation should be improved by more sophisticated numerical modelling. T2 - 7. VDI-Fachtagung Baudynamik CY - Würzburg, Germany DA - 27.04.2022 KW - Großer Fallturm Horstwalde KW - Structural Health Monitoring KW - Belastungsversuch KW - Modalanalyse KW - Schwingungsdynamik KW - Finite Elemente Simulation PY - 2022 SN - 978-3-18-092379-6 SN - 978-3-18-102379-2 DO - https://doi.org/10.51202/9783181023792-265 SN - 0083-5560 VL - 2379 SP - 265 EP - 284 PB - VDI-Verlag CY - Düsseldorf AN - OPUS4-55472 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Rolle, Annette T1 - Assessment approaches of mechanical behavior of SNF under transport package test conditions N2 - German packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel are assessed with respect to specific transport conditions which are defined in the safety regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. In general, gastight fuel rods constitute the first barrier of the containment system. The physical state of the spent fuel and the fuel rod cladding as well as the geometric configuration of the fuel assemblies are important inputs for the evaluation of the package safety under transport conditions. The objective of this paper is to discuss the methodologies accepted by German authority BAM for the evaluation of spent fuel behavior within the package design approval procedure. Specific test conditions will be analyzed with regard to assumptions to be used in the activity release and criticality safety analysis. In particular the different failure modes of the fuel rods, which can cause release of gas, volatiles, fuel particles or fragments, have to be properly considered in these assumptions. The package as a mechanical system is characterized by a complex set of interactions, e.g. between the fuel rods within the assembly as well as between the fuel assemblies, the basket, and the cask containment. This complexity together with the limited knowledge about the material properties and the variation of the fuel assemblies regarding cladding material, burn-up and the operation history makes an exact mechanical analysis of the fuel rods nearly impossible. The application of sophisticated numerical models requires extensive experimental data for model verification, which are in general not available. The gaps in information concerning the material properties of cladding and pellets, especially for the high burn-up fuel, make the analysis more complicated additionally, and require a conservative approach. In this context some practical approaches based on experiences by BAM within safety assessment of packages for transport of spent fuel will be discussed. Ongoing research activities to investigate SNF mechanical behavior in view of gas and fissile material release under transport loads are presented. T2 - International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference, IHLRWM 2017 CY - Charlotte, NC, USA DA - 09.04.2017 KW - Brennelementverhalten KW - Spent fuel behavior KW - Hüllrohr KW - Kritikalität KW - Aktivitätsfreisetzung KW - Mechanisches Verhalten KW - Cladding KW - Criticality PY - 2017 SP - 472 EP - 475 AN - OPUS4-39898 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Assessment approaches of mechanical behavior of SNF under transport package test conditions N2 - German packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel are assessed with respect to specific transport conditions which are defined in the safety regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. In general, gastight fuel rods constitute the first barrier of the containment system. The physical state of the spent fuel and the fuel rod cladding as well as the geometric configuration of the fuel assemblies are important inputs for the evaluation of the package safety under transport conditions. The objective of this paper is to discuss the methodologies accepted by German authority BAM for the evaluation of spent fuel behavior within the package design approval procedure. Specific test conditions will be analyzed with regard to assumptions to be used in the activity release and criticality safety analysis. In particular the different failure modes of the fuel rods, which can cause release of gas, volatiles, fuel particles or fragments, have to be properly considered in these assumptions. The package as a mechanical system is characterized by a complex set of interactions, e.g. between the fuel rods within the assembly as well as between the fuel assemblies, the basket, and the cask containment. This complexity together with the limited knowledge about the material properties and the variation of the fuel assemblies regarding cladding material, burn-up and the operation history makes an exact mechanical analysis of the fuel rods nearly impossible. The application of sophisticated numerical models requires extensive experimental data for model verification, which are in general not available. The gaps in information concerning the material properties of cladding and pellets, especially for the high burn-up fuel, make the analysis more complicated additionally, and require a conservative approach. In this context some practical approaches based on experiences by BAM within safety assessment of packages for transport of spent fuel will be discussed. Ongoing research activities to investigate SNF mechanical behavior in view of gas and fissile material release under transport loads are presented. T2 - International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference, IHLRWM 2017 CY - Charlotte, NC, USA DA - 09.04.2017 KW - Spent fuel KW - Cladding failure KW - Criticality analysis KW - Encapsulation PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-39908 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Schönfelder, Thorsten T1 - German concept to ensure transportability of SNF packages after interim storage N2 - In Germany the concept of dry interim storage of spent fuel in dual purpose metal casks is implemented, currently for periods of up to 40 years. The casks being used have an approved transport package design in accordance with the international IAEA transport regulations as well. The storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste in dual purpose casks (DPC) is related with the challenge of maintaining safety for transportation over several decades of storage. Besides consideration of aging mechanisms by appropriate design, material selection and operational controls to assure technical reliability by aging management measures, an essential issue is the continuous control and update of the DPC safety case. Not only the technical objects are subject of aging but also the safety demonstration basis is subject of “aging” due to possible changes of regulations, standards and scientific/technical knowledge. To ensure a safe transport in future to a destination which is not known yet (because of not yet existing repository sites) periodical reviews of the Package Design Safety Report (PDSR), in connection with periodic renewals of package design approval certificates, have to be carried out. T2 - International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference, IHLRWM 2017 CY - Charlotte, NC, USA DA - 09.04.2017 KW - Dual purpose casks KW - Interim storage KW - Transportability PY - 2017 SP - 476 EP - 481 AN - OPUS4-39919 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Erenberg, Marina A1 - Nehrig, Marko A1 - Bletzer, Claus A1 - Musolff, André A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Schönfelder, Thorsten T1 - Aspects of assessment of packages with wood filled impact limiters during fire tests N2 - Packages for the transport of radioactive material are often equipped with impact limiters consisting of wood, encapsulated by steel sheets. These impact limiters shall ensure that the transport casks meet the mechanical and thermal IAEA regulatory test requirements. According to the accident conditions of transport it is mandatory to expose the specimens to a cumulative effect by mechanical and thermal impacts. The mechanical tests consist of a free drop from 9 m onto a flat unyielding target and a 1 m drop onto a puncture bar. After damage caused by mechanical test sequences the package has to withstand a severe fire scenario. Corresponding to the IAEA advisory material it is required that the impact attitudes for the 9 m drop test and for the puncture test have to be such as to produce maximum damage, taking into account the thermal test. Moreover, any damage, which would give rise to increased radiation or loss of containment or affect the confinement system after the thermal test, should be considered. During and following the thermal test, the specimen shall not be artificially cooled and any combustion of materials of the package shall be permitted to proceed naturally. Different works from the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and BAM show that additional energy supply from a pre-damaged impact limiter to the cask could occur. This effect should be considered within the safety assessment of the containment. Thermal effects at the closure system of the cask, which might result in an elevated activity release, have to be excluded. BAM conducted small scale tests with wood filled metal buckets showing continuing combustion processes during the cooling down phase. These test results are presented. As not much is known about smouldering processes in wood filled impact limiters, it is highly complex to define pre-damage of impact limiters, which are conservative, regarding the maximum damaging energy flow from the impact limiter to the containment system. More research has to be done to develop models to examine the effects of smouldering impact limiters on the containment of packages for the transport of radioactive material. Aspects of assessment and its difficulties are shown. BAM as a competent authority for the approval of transport casks for radioactive material in Germany operates the test facilities to examine the issue of mechanical damage, combustion and heat transfer for such kind of package systems. For this purpose the knowledge from real drop tests with casks of a mass partly over 100 tons was transferred to a test application. A thermal test will take place with a wood filled test specimen with a diameter of about 2.3 meters. The aim is to understand the phenomena of smouldering under the consideration of relevant regulatory boundary conditions. The process of smouldering is described with regard to the requirements in the thermal assessment of safety of packages for the transport of radioactive material. Requirements concerning the pre-damage of packages for the maximum damage of impact limiters are discussed. Parameters influencing the smouldering process are identified. T2 - WM 2017 Conference CY - Phoenix, AZ, USA DA - 05.03.2017 KW - Fire test KW - Wood KW - Combustion KW - Smouldering KW - Smoldering KW - Impact limiter KW - Shock absorber KW - Thermal test KW - IAEA PY - 2017 SN - 978-0-9828171-6-2 SP - 1 AN - OPUS4-40157 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Sterthaus, Jens A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Nasyrow, R. A1 - Papaioannou, D. A1 - Vlassopoulos, E. A1 - Rondinella, V. T1 - Analysis of parameters affecting the bending behavior of spent fuel rods N2 - Transport packages for spent nuclear fuel have to be assessed with respect to specific transport conditions which are defined in the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The physical state of the spent fuel and the fuel rod cladding as well as the geometric configuration of the fuel assemblies are important inputs for the evaluation of the package capabilities under these conditions. Cracks or failures in the fuel rod cladding can cause the release of gas, volatiles or fuel particles into the cavity. The amount of substances in the cavity has to be considered in the assessment of the activity release and criticality safety. The mechanical analysis of the compound system formed by the fuel rod cladding and the spent fuel pellets is very difficult due to the limited knowledge of the material properties and the insufficient understanding of the interaction between pellets and cladding and between adjacent pellets. The variation of fuel assembly properties regarding cladding material, burn-up and the history of usage makes reliable predictions of the fuel rod behavior even harder. For a better understanding about the behavior of spent fuel rods, JRC-ITU and BAM have started a joint research project. In this context, JRC-ITU has developed a test device which allows quasi-static 3-point-bending test on fuel rod segments in the hot cell. The loads are applied with respect to the boundary conditions of the activity release assessment. This paper deals with the numerical calculation of a single fuel rod segment under bending load. The aim is to identify the governing mechanical parameters by the variation of constitutive assumptions, contact conditions, inner constraints, etc. This knowledge helps for the interpretation of the experimental results. Furthermore, the improved understanding about the behavior of the cladding-pellets system will be beneficial for the assessment of spent fuel transport conditions. T2 - PATRAM 2016 - 18th International symposium on the packaging and transportation of radioactive materials CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Transport packages KW - Finite element methods KW - Spent fuel assessment PY - 2016 SP - Paper 2012, 1 AN - OPUS4-40000 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Nasyrow, R. A1 - Papaioannou, D. A1 - Rondinella, V. A1 - Vlassopoulos, E. A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Sterthaus, Jens A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Caruso, St. T1 - Bending test device for mechanical integrity studies of spent nuclear fuel rods N2 - This paper presents data obtained from experiments performed using a bending test set-up developed at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) – Karlsruhe, for spent fuel segment testing. Adjustable sample holders, loading modes and other experimental conditions can be im- plemented in the experiments to study the effects of different deformation ranges up to cladding failure. The experimental set-up has been adapted to hot cell remote controlling and has a modular configuration, which allows manual and motor-driven loading option. The device has been calibrated on hydrogenated, unirradiated cladding tube segments filled with alumina pellets. The final application of present set-up is to test non-defueled spent fuel rod segments, pressurized to the original spent fuel rod pressure level. The range of applicability of this device, the scope of the experimental program and the first results from actual bending tests will be discussed. T2 - PATRAM 2016 - 18th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Hot cell testing KW - Spent fuel assessment KW - Transport packages PY - 2016 SP - Paper 6023, 1 AN - OPUS4-40002 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Sterthaus, Jens T1 - Package design assessment aspects of gaps between content and lid N2 - Type B(U) packages for the transport of radioactive material have to withstand accident conditions of transport defined in the regulations of the IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency in form of different mechanical (drop) tests with a subsequent thermal test. According to the regulatory requirements the orientation of the package in drop tests shall be such to cause the most damaged state in the components performing the safety functions. For the package lid system a 9-m drop onto the unyielding target with lid side downwards is often the most damaging orientation. The impact loads acting on the lid in this orientation result mainly from interaction between lid and internal content. In case of a movable content its impact onto the inner side of the lid can cause additional load peaks on the lid and the lid bolts. The intensity of the internal collision depends on the position of content relating to lid at the time of package first contact with target. Due to physical limitations an axial gap, which could be set in “pre-drop” configuration of package or which could spontaneously appear during the drop test, usually does not cover the maximum size possible in specific package design. In this context, the combination of drop tests with post-test analysis can be helpful to better estimate the effect of internal impact. The paper summarized some aspects of this issue based on the BAM experience in the design assessment of Type B(U) transport packages. Additionally the paper shall support applicants in German approval procedures to reduce rounds of questions and ensure delivery of reliable safety case documents to the authorities. International discussions of this issue at the IAEA and a joint proposal by France and Germany to improve Advisory Material text will be introduced. T2 - 18th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2016 CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Lid behavior KW - Transport package KW - Secondary impact KW - Inventaraufprall KW - Fallprüfung PY - 2016 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-37548 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Package design assessment aspects of gaps between content and lid N2 - Type B(U) packages for the transport of radioactive material have to withstand accident conditions of transport defined in the regulations of the IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency in form of different mechanical (drop) tests with a subsequent thermal test. According to the regulatory requirements the orientation of the package in drop tests shall be such to cause the most damaged state in the components performing the safety functions. For the package lid system a 9-m drop onto the unyielding target with lid side downwards is often the most damaging orientation. The impact loads acting on the lid in this orientation result mainly from interaction between lid and internal content. In case of a movable content its impact onto the inner side of the lid can cause additional load peaks on the lid and the lid bolts. The intensity of the internal collision depends on the position of content relating to lid at the time of package first contact with target. Due to physical limitations an axial gap, which could be set in “pre-drop” configuration of package or which could spontaneously appear during the drop test, usually does not cover the maximum size possible in specific package design. In this context, the combination of drop tests with post-test analysis can be helpful to better estimate the effect of internal impact. The paper summarized some aspects of this issue based on the BAM experience in the design assessment of Type B(U) transport packages. Additionally the paper shall support applicants in German approval procedures to reduce rounds of questions and ensure delivery of reliable safety case documents to the authorities. International discussions of this issue at the IAEA and a joint proposal by France and Germany to improve Advisory Material text will be introduced. T2 - 18th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2016 CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 18.09.2016 KW - Impact behavior KW - Fallprüfung KW - Inventarverhalten KW - Secondary impact KW - Spalte PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-37549 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kuschke, Christian A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Sterhaus, Jens A1 - Apel, Andreas T1 - Standards and guidelines for design of trunnions of RAM transport packages N2 - Trunnion systems of packages for the transport of radioactive materials have to guarantee the safe handling of package during crane operations (lifting, tilting) and to secure package tie down to the transport vehicle, if the trunnions are used as attachment points during transport. The design of trunnions is based on IAEA Regulations SSR-6, the supporting Advisory Material SSG-26 and further appropriate technical standards and/or guidelines. For package approval procedures in Germany the guideline BAM-GGR 012 has to be applied. If a package is handled inside a german nuclear power plant, the standard KTA 3905 has to be fulfilled additionally. In this paper the requirements of KTA 3905 concerning the trunnion systems as load attaching points (LAP) are discussed in connection with the recommendations in the guideline BAM-GGR 012. This guideline is prepared at BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing for analysis and assessment of bolted lid and trunnion systems of Type B(U) transport packages. The Quality assurance questions concerning trunnion systems are discussed as well. T2 - WM 2017 conference CY - Phoenix, USA DA - 05.03.2017 KW - RAM transport package KW - Trunnions PY - 2017 SP - Paper 17365, 1 EP - 12 AN - OPUS4-40815 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Eisenacher, Germar A1 - Schönfelder, Thorsten A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Development of a material model for the crush of spruce wood N2 - Typical transport packages used in Germany are equipped with wooden impact limiting devices. In this paper we give an overview of the latest status regarding the development of a finite element material model for the crush of spruce wood. Although the crush of wood – mainly in longitudinal direction – is a phenomenon governed by macroscopic fracture and failure of wood fibres we smear fracture and failure mechanisms over the continuous voume. In first step we altered an existing LS-DYNA material model for foams, which considers an ellipse shaped yield surface written in terms of the first two stress invariants. The evolution of the yield surface in the existing model depends on the volumetric strain only. For the use with spruce wood, we modified the existing material model to consider the deviatoric strain for the evolution of the yield surface as well. This is in accordance with the results of crush tests with spruce wood specimens, where the crushing deformation was rather deviatoric for uniaxial stress states and rather volumetric for multiaxial stress states We rate the basic idea of this approach to be reasonable, though other problems exist regarding the shape of the yield surface and the assumption of isotropic material properties. Therefore we developed a new transversal isotropic material model with two main directions, which considers different yield curves according to the multiaxiality of the stress state via a multi-surface yield criterion and a non-associated flow rule. The results show the ability to reproduce the basic strength characteristics of spruce wood. Nevertheless, problems with regularization etc. show that additional investigations are necessary. T2 - ASME PVP 2017 CY - Waikaloa, HY, USA DA - 16.07.2017 KW - Chrush KW - Spruce KW - Wood KW - FEM PY - 2017 SN - 978-0-7918-5802-8 VL - 7 SP - Article UNSP V007T07A037, 1 EP - 9 AN - OPUS4-41613 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - CONF A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Monavari, Mehran A1 - Bertovic, Marija A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - AI-driven Documentation Analysis for Safety Assessment of Packages with Hazardous Goods N2 - Transport packages for radioactive material require, dependent on type und quantity of the radioactive material, a regulatory approval. Safety assessments shall be conducted in compliance with the IAEA regulations and documented in a comprehensive package design safety report to obtain approval from authority. This comprehensive safety report evaluates a broad range of requirements from the regulations, including physical specifications, control measures, and testing assessments. Additionally, it encompasses supporting documents such as specifications, plans in a variety of complex documents. Safety and manufacturing reports contain multiple interconnected sub-reports covering various topics. Changes, such as component modifications, material property updates, standards, or regulatory revisions, often impact multiple sections of the safety analysis reports, making even minor adjustments complex and time-consuming. Each transport package has unique constraints, making every safety report distinct, despite following the same regulatory framework. This project aims to enhance data analysis and processing through AI-based approaches [4]. Automated methods for analysing and interlinking documentation will improve efficiency, accuracy, and consistency while reducing human error in safety assessments. A key challenge is that pre-trained Large Language Models (LLMs) lack domain-specific data on packaging safety, potentially leading to inaccurate results. To mitigate this, the project applies Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) in conjunction with LLMs. This approach integrates the strengths of pre-trained models with expert knowledge from databases and document repositories, ensuring accurate, well-founded, and transparent assessments. Beyond technical challenges, human factors must be considered early. New technologies often trigger resistance, if not introduced properly. Furthermore, long-term AI-reliance may lead to loss of expertise needed to solve complex problems. User-centred approach ensures effective implementation and lasting viability. This study evaluates the feasibility of using LLMs [2] and RAG [1, 3] for regulatory compliance in radioactive material transport. By analysing current documentation workflows, we assess how AI-driven tools can interpret complex safety reports and identify critical dependencies. Furthermore, we highlight the necessity of robust data governance, confidentiality measures, and AI reliability in this highly regulated domain. T2 - KONTEC 2025 CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 17.09.2025 KW - AI-driven KW - QI-Digital KW - Retrieval-Augmented Generation KW - Large Language Model PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Kontec Gesellschaft für technische Kommunikation GmbH CY - Dresden AN - OPUS4-64154 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 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Fracture Mechanical Analyses of a Welding Seam of a Thick-Walled Transport Package N2 - Transport packages shall satisfy various safety criteria regarding mechanical, thermal and radiation phenomena. Typical requirements focusing mechanical aspects are usually drop tests in accordance with IAEA regulations. The drop tests are usually carried out experimentally and, as an additional measure, finite element analyses (FEA) are performed. A specific part of the investigations presented is the evaluation of the welding seam connecting cask shell and cask bottom. Experimental results and FEA are presented and compared. The evaluation of the welding seam performed includes a variety of aspects. In addition to the experimental and analytical stresses determined, different standards are used to investigate a possible crack initiation. Several destructive and non-destructive tests are performed for quality assurance in the manufacturing process as well as for different input parameters. The necessary monitoring and non-destructive measurement methods to define the boundary conditions of the standards are introduced. Taking into account all required parameters, the welding seam is examined and evaluated using the failure assessment diagrams (FAD) of the respective standards. It can be shown under the given boundary conditions that considering the experimental data, the welding seam is in the context of crack initiation below the enveloping curve in the acceptable region. More critical drop tests to be conducted are proposed and need to be investigated in future work. T2 - Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference® 2022 CY - Las Vegas, NV, USA DA - 17.07.2022 KW - Transport package KW - Drop test KW - Fracture initiation PY - 2022 SP - 1 EP - 9 AN - OPUS4-55375 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 - Schubert, Sven A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Reichardt, Adrian A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Experiences with the implementation of ageing management for packages for transport of radioactive materials in Germany N2 - The consideration of ageing mechanisms is now obligatory for the design of transport packages with integration of the para 613A into IAEA SSR-6 (Rev. 1). In addition, para 809(f) of SSR-6 (Rev. 1) requires for packages intended to be used for shipment after storage the consideration of the effects of ageing mechanisms during storage in safety analyses and the implementation of corresponding instructions for operation and maintenance. Para 503(e) requires that these packages have been maintained during storage in a manner that all requirements specified in SSR-6 (Rev.1) and in the applicable certificates of approval have been fulfilled. The evaluation of ageing mechanisms and their effects including monitoring are part of BAM’s authority assessment tasks related to the mechanical and thermal package design and quality assurance aspects. BAM has compiled the guideline BAM-GGR 023 for the implementation of ageing assessment and related measures into the approval procedure. The implementation of ageing management measures is obligatory in case of extension/renewal of package design approval certificates. BAM has evaluated package designs which are used only for transport as well as package designs for long term interim storage. The assessment of ageing mechanisms associated with the identification of ageing effects on components is the main part of the ageing management plan (AMP). Different approaches regarding AMP structure are introduced. Experiences and approaches about the evaluation of components for the expected package operating time are shown. We are focusing the evaluations of proofs for not accessible and not replaceable components. Operational experiences for these package designs are available and should be considered in the ageing evaluation. Corresponding measures for package monitoring are to be derived based on these results. The measures for monitoring shall be fixed in the Ageing Surveillance Program (ASP) to maintain a specification conform package for the transport on public routes. We show exemplary how results from ageing evaluation during the approval procedure are transferred into the ASP. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas , US DA - 27.07.2025 KW - RAM KW - Ageing management KW - Radioactive material KW - Transport PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - INMM CY - Washington D.C. AN - OPUS4-63987 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Conclusions from the first return campaign of vitrified High-Level Waste on sea going vessels from the competent authority N2 - Germany has to take back vitrified waste from the reprocessing plants in France and Great Britain. The waste resulted from decades of transporting spent fuel for reprocessing to La Hague and Sellafield. The return campaign from France was concluded in 2024 with the transport of five CASTOR® HAW28M casks to the interim storage facility in Philippsburg in southern Germany. The return of waste from Sellafield comprises three campaigns and a total of 20 CASTOR® HAW28M casks. The first campaign was performed in 2020, consisting of six CASTOR® HAW28M casks, while the second campaign was performed in March 2025, consisting of seven CASTOR® HAW28M casks. The casks were transported by rail from Sellafield to the port in Barrow-in-Furness, where they were loaded into a dedicated seagoing vessel, certified as INF Class 3 according to the INF Code. This was the first time that vitrified high level waste with considerable heat load was transported under a German design approval certificate. The third campaign is expected to be performed during 2026. BAM as part of the German competent authority system was among others involved in the assessment of the sea transport. BAM required for the first transport, among others, an assessment of temperature distribution during transport, logging of temperatures of cargo bays and graphical imaging of temperatures of the bay with the cask to ensure compliance with temperature specifications, e.g. maximal neutron absorber and gasket temperatures. Special interest was taken in the identification of possible events exceeding the specified temperatures considering the different philosophies of the IMDG code and its supplement the INF code regarding temperature control of hatches. Results show compliance with assumed conditions. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - RAM KW - Transport KW - Radioactive material KW - Sea PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - INMM CY - Washington D.C. AN - OPUS4-63984 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Scheidemann, Robert A1 - Neumeyer, Tino A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Thightness Assessment of welded Lids for Encapsulations of damaged Spent Nuclear Fuel in the Design Approval Process of Dual-Purpose Casks (DPC) N2 - The disposal of spent nuclear fuel in Germany is ensured using dual-purpose casks (DPC) for transport and interim storage. The leak tightness of the DPC and resulting containment is one of the most important aspects. Additional encapsulations are required for damaged spent nuclear fuel (DSNF) to guarantee safe handling and a separate tight closure. Due to the general design of DPCs for standard fuel assemblies should special requirements be considered for the design of the encapsulations for DSNF to ensure the loading in existing package designs. The absence of a replaceable sealing in the tightness barrier is the main difference for the encapsulations for damaged spent nuclear fuel. Instead, they are welded shut with a lid. The leak tightness of the encapsulation shall be proven in the design approval process for all transport conditions. This is especially valid for accident conditions of transport, where high internal impact forces may occur. BAM as German competent authority is responsible for the safety assessment of mechanical and thermal design, retention of radioactive material and quality assurance aspects of manufacturing and operation. BAM carried out a comprehensive safety assessment concerning the mechanical package design. As there are no representative standards for verifying the leak tightness of a welded lid, two approaches were being pursued. Established German standards may be used for verifying the leak tightness of a weld - but limited to low stresses. Therefore, physical tests were required for higher impact loads. Representative drop tests and highly sensitive leakage tests were performed. The paper presents an overview of the containment assessment by BAM and points out the main findings for the design of welds regarding leak tightness. Both verification procedures are described, on one hand with German standards for lower loads and on the other hand with physical tests for higher impact loads. The leak tightness of the encapsulation weld could be approved based on leakage tests and a corresponding evaluation for all transport conditions. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Transport packages KW - Tightness assessment KW - Welded lids KW - Encapsulations PY - 2025 VL - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) CY - Indianapolis AN - OPUS4-64023 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - 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 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Musolff, André A1 - Werner, Jan A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Fire Test Stand for Thermal Testing of Large Packages for the Transport of Radioactive Materials N2 - Packages for the transport of high level radioactive materials are designed to withstand severe accidents. These packages must comply with the specific safety requirements SSR 6 [ of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To guarantee compliance with these requirements, specific mechanical and thermal tests need to be addressed r egard ing the package type. Typically, the r egulations prescribe mechanical tests followed by a thermal test as part of a cumulative test scenario. The thermal test is specified by the exposure of a test specimen for a period of 30 minutes to a thermal environment that provides a heat flux equivalent to that of a hydrocarbon fuel air fire with an av erage fire temperature of at least 800 °C fully flame engulfing the test specimen. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) operates various test facilities for this purpose at their Test Site for Technical Safety (near Berlin in Germany). Thermal tests for large packages are conducted in an established fire test stand that may be adapted by the test setup to the geometric boundary conditions of a test specimen. This fire test stand is built for test specimens with masses up to 200,000 kg an d geometric dimensions relating to large transport packages including their impact limiters. The test specimen is usually placed on a water cooled support frame in the middle of the test stand. The fire is realized by burning propane gas which is released in liquid state from an array of gas nozzles arranged in the form of a burner ring surrounding the test specimen. For particularly extra large test specimens, two burner rings are used on top of each other and at different heights to firstly achieve full f ire engulfment with a significantly larger volume of fire and secondly to achieve the required heat output , cf. In advance of a regular thermal test BAM usually performs so called fire reference tests to determine the test conditions for compliance with the IAEA requirements. These tests are performed using a generic package which corresponds to the external geometr ic dimensions of the test specimen used later in the approval test. Then, this reference package is exposed to a fire under defined test parameters whereas the corresponding heat input determined from the temperature changes measured is regarded as main cr iterion for proofing compliance with the IAEA criteria. The paper shows the experimental proof of the suitability of BAM’s fire test stand for thermal testing of extra large packages. The heat input and fire temperatures fully meet the IAEA criteria and can also be set significantly higher for example for extra regulatory testing. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - IAEA Regu-lations KW - Fire Test Stand KW - Accident Scenario KW - Fire Qualification PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 CY - Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) AN - OPUS4-63872 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Shipment of SCO-II – Authority assessment of mechanical aspects and quality management N2 - The decommissioning of nuclear facilities necessitates either the storage or disposal of large radioactive components such as steam generators, pressurizers, reactor pressure vessels and heads, or coolant pumps. These components or objects are large in size and mass with up to 6 meters in diameter and 20 meters in length and a weight of up to 400 tons. They are often transported to a storage, disposal, or recycling facility. Large components from nuclear facilities may often not be packed and need to be transported unpackaged due to size and weight. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, TX, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - radioaktive Stoffe, Rückbau kerntechnischer Anlagen, Transport, Gefahrgut PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-63878 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Package safety evaluation in a rapidly changing world N2 - The presentation addressed the evolving challenges and developments in the safety evaluation of transport packages for radioactive materials, especially in light of changing technologies, regulations, and environmental conditions. A key focus was the current situation in Germany: following the final shutdown of commercial nuclear power plants in 2023, efforts are now concentrated on decommissioning, interim storage in dual-purpose casks (DPCs), and the ongoing site selection process for a repository for high-level waste. The expected duration of interim storage exceeds 100 years, demanding robust and sustainable safety strategies. One major topic was ageing management, which goes beyond technical measures to ensure transportability over long periods. It also includes preserving knowledge and expertise for future generations. The regulatory framework includes international standards such as IAEA SSR-6 and SSG-26, as well as national guidance like BAM-GGR 023. It was emphasized the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in safety evaluations. AI can enhance efficiency through automated document analysis and digital data structuring. However, final safety decisions remain the responsibility of human experts, especially given the complexity of documentation and the shortage of skilled personnel. The presentation also addressed changing transport technologies, such as the use of electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. These vehicles behave differently in accidents, particularly in battery fires, which can reach temperatures above 1000 °C and last significantly longer than conventional fires. This raises the need to reassess existing fire test criteria. Environmental changes were another key point. With global temperatures rising by 0.26 °C per decade, local safety margin evaluations are becoming increasingly important. Existing regulatory assumptions, such as ambient temperatures of 38 °C, may no longer be sufficient. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is increasing. AI can support model generation, but there is concern about potential skill fading among engineers. Physical testing, such as BAM’s drop towers (up to 200 tons), remains essential for public package safety acceptance. Key takeaways from the talk include: Ageing Management is also about preserving skills and knowledge. Changing technologies and environmental conditions impact package safety. AI can improve efficiency but must be used carefully to avoid skill loss. Physical testing continues to play a vital role in gaining public trust. T2 - PATRAM 2025 CY - San Antonio, Texas, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Artificial Intelligence KW - Package KW - Ageing Management KW - Electric Vehicles KW - Testing PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63879 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Evaluation of Convective Heat Transfer Coefficients with CFD for Heat Flux Calculation in Combustion Chamber N2 - Packages for the transport of high-level radioactive waste are designed to withstand severe accidents. To obtain approval for transport, these packages must adhere to the specification-based criteria of regulations established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To ensure compliance with the regulations, mechanical and thermal tests need to be conducted regarding the package type. The requirements define mechanical tests followed by a thermal test, including criteria ensuring the package design’s ability to withstand severe accidents. Heavy-weight packages for the safe transport of radioactive materials are equipped with impact limiters, which are often built with porous materials such as densely packed wood reinforced by steel sheet structures. These components absorb the kinetic energy during the impact of the package in drop tests and thus dampen the acceleration of other package components which supports the package to meet the requirements of the IAEA regulations. Following the mechanical tests, the package must, with its predamaged impact limiters, endure a thermal test defined precisely in the IAEA regulations. The thermal test is defined as a 30-min, fully engulfing 800 °C fire and a following time under ambient conditions for a sufficient period to ensure that temperatures in the specimen decrease in all parts of the specimen. During and following the thermal test, the specimen shall not be artificially cooled, and any combustion of materials of the specimen shall be permitted to proceed naturally. A wood-filled impact limiter can continue to release thermal energy during an ongoing combustion process, thus defining relevant package temperatures. Heat flux from a potentially burning impact limiter to the package is important for the safety evaluation of transport packages. A test setup was developed to approach the energy flow investigation and examine the combustion behaviour of porous materials encapsulated in predamaged cylindrical metal enclosures under various conditions. The setup consists of a combustion chamber for thermal tests under adjustable and defined boundary conditions. The temperature development of the test specimens can be observed from outside using a thermographic imager with high-definition cameras, and the mass loss of the test specimen can be measured in the combustion chamber. Convective heat transfer coefficients for various boundary conditions must be defined for use with experimentally gathered test specimen surface temperature data for heat flux evaluations. The airflow conditions in the combustion chamber were analysed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations in OpenFOAM with respect to the convective heat transfer coefficients at the surface of a hot test specimen. A convergence study was performed, and sensitivity analyses for different test specimen surface temperatures and exhaust gas volume flows were conducted. T2 - ASME PVP2025, Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Montreal, Quebec, Canada DA - 20.07.2025 KW - Heat Transfer KW - Convection KW - OpenFOAM KW - Combustion PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - American society of mechanical engineers (ASME) AN - OPUS4-63901 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Musolff, Andre A1 - Werner, Jan A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - A fire test stand for thermal testing of extra-large packages N2 - Packages for the transport of high-level radioactive materials are designed to withstand severe accidents. These packages must adhere to the specification-based criteria of the International Transport Regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To ensure compliance with these requirements, specific mechanical and thermal tests need to be addressed with respect to the package type. Typically, the Regulations prescribe mechanical tests followed by a thermal test as part of a cumulative test scenario. The thermal test is specified by the exposure of a test specimen for a period of 30 minutes to a thermal invironment that provides a heat flux equivalent to that of a hydrocarbon fuel-air fire with an average fire temperature of at least 800 °C fully flame engulfing the test specimen. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) operates various test facilities for this purpose at their test site (TTS) near Berlin in Germany. Thermal tests for large packages are carried out in an established fire test stand that can be adapted by the test-setup to the geometric boundary conditions of a test specimen. This fire test stand is built for test specimens with masses up to 200,000 kg and geometric dimensions relating to large transport packages including their impact limiters. The test specimen is usually placed on a water-cooled support frame in the middle of the test-stand. The fire is realized by burning propane gas which is released in liquid state from an array of gas nozzles arranged in the form of a burner ring surrounding the test specimen. For particularly extra-large test specimens, two burner rings are used on top of each other and at different heights in order to firstly achieve full fire engulfment with a significantly larger volume of fire and secondly to achieve the required heat output. In advance of a regular thermal test BAM usually performs so-called fire reference tests to determine the test conditions for compliance with the IAEA requirements. These tests are performed using a generic package which corresponds to the external geometric dimensions of the test specimen used later in the approval test. Then, this reference package is exposed to a fire under defined test parameters whereas the corresponding heat input determined from the temperature changes measured is regarded as main criterion for proofing compliance with the IAEA criteria.The paper shows the experimental proof of the suitability of BAM’s fire test stand for thermal testing of extra-large packages. The heat input and fire temperatures fully meet the IAEA criteria but can also be set significantly higher for e.g. extra-regulatory testing. T2 - ASME PVP 2025 CY - Montreal, Quebec, Kanada DA - 20.07.2025 KW - Test stand KW - Thermal testing KW - Package KW - Fire PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 6 AN - OPUS4-63892 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - 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 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Eisenacher, Germar A1 - Schönfelder, Thorsten A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Finite element simulation of the crush of package components made of encapsulated wood N2 - Typical transport packages used in Germany are equipped with encapsulated wooden impact limiting devices. We would like to present the current status regarding the development of a Finite Element (FE) material model for the crush of wood for the FE-code LS-DYNA. The crush of is a phenomenon governed by macroscopic fracture. Here, we would like to reproduce fracture and failure mechanisms over the continuous volume. In a first step we altered an existing LS-DYNA material model for foams, which considers an ellipse shaped yield surface. For the use for longitudinal compression of wood, we modified the existing material model to consider the deviatoric strain for the evolution of the yield surface as well. This is in accordance with the results of crush tests with spruce wood specimens, where the crushing deformation was rather deviatoric for uniaxial stress states and rather volumetric for multiaxial stress states We rate the basic idea of this approach to be reasonable, though other problems exist regarding the shape of the yield surface and the assumption of isotropic material properties. Therefore we developed a new transversal isotropic material model with two main directions, which considers different yield curves according to the multiaxiality of the stress state via a multi-surface yield criterion and a non-associated flow rule. The results show the ability to reproduce the basic strength characteristics of spruce wood. Nevertheless, problems with regularization etc. show that additional investigations are necessary. T2 - 11th International Conference on the Transport, Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Materials CY - London, UK DA - 15.05.2018 KW - Wood KW - FEM PY - 2018 SP - Paper 18517, 1 EP - 12 AN - OPUS4-45091 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Fracture Mechanical Analyses of a Welding Seam of a Thick-Walled Transport Package N2 - The safety demonstration of heavy weight type B transport packages used for storing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) or radioactive waste is ensured by a combination of physical testing and numerical calculations. While experiments are performed in accordance with the IAEA regulations for selected drop scenarios, Finite-Element-Method (FEM) simulations are used to predict the most damaging case and to investigate additional drop positions. BAM as competent authority in Germany has performed different investigations of a welding seam for a typical large transport package made of A508 forged steel, where the bottom plate is welded to the cylindrical shell. The package has a mass of approx. 120 t. Results of physical drop tests with a full-scale model and accompanying preliminary FEM simulations are presented to determine the decisive stresses in the welding seam. A drop test only represents one set of a package and test parameters. A further parameter analysis is considered to account for allowable variations of packaging properties (e.g. resulting from the manufacturing process) and, based on IAEA requirements, the temperature dependence of the material behaviour. The results of the stress analyses from the drop test and the simulation form the basis and provide the input parameters for a fracture mechanics analysis. In addition to the IAEA specifications, further standards are taken into account for an in-depth investigation, see R6, BS 7910 and API 579-1/ASME FFS1. All the above-mentioned standards require a manufacturer-specific defect analysis with respect to size and position. Both result from the welding process and the following heat treatment regime. The maximum defect sizes are ensured with non-destructive test methods (such as ultrasonic or particle methods) as integral part of the manufacturing process of the welding seam. Another important parameter in the welding process is the residual stress (secondary stress). The combination of the primary and secondary stress determines the total stress in the welding seam. The most damaging case of the welding seam is determined and evaluated with help of the above-mentioned standards and taking into account the IAEA requirements with respect to defect sizes, material properties, primary and residual stress, yield strength etc. T2 - PATRAM 22 - The International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - Juan-Les-Pins, Antibes, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Transport Package KW - Welding KW - Fracture Mechanics PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-57696 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 - Gröke, Carsten A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - BAM-GGR 016 - Auf dem aktuelle Stand N2 - Die BAM-GGR 016 zur Anerkennung und Überwachung von Managementsystemen für nicht zulassungspflichtige Verssandstücke für radioaktive Stoffe wurde kürzliche erstmals revidiert. KW - BAM-GGR 016 KW - Überwachung KW - Anerkennung KW - Radioaktive Stoffe PY - 2024 SN - 0944-6117 IS - 5 SP - 11 EP - 13 PB - Verlag Heinrich Vogel CY - München AN - OPUS4-59998 LA - deu 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 - Wille, Frank T1 - KI-Einsatz im gefahrgutrechtlichen Kontext N2 - Der Vortrag behandelt den Einsatz von Künstlicher Intelligenz im gefahrgutrechtlichen Kontext und beleuchtet deren Potenzial zur Effizienzsteigerung in ressourcenlimitierten Umgebungen. Anwendungsfelder an der BAM umfassen die Datenanalyse zur Verpackungssicherheit, die Automatisierung von Zulassungs- und Genehmigungsprozessen, die Unterstützung bei der Mitarbeit an Normen und Regelwerken sowie die Bearbeitung komplexer Forschungsfragen. Herausgestellt wird die wachsende Datenmenge und Komplexität in der Gremienarbeit (z. B. UN-Regelwerke), die manuelle Auswertung ineffizient macht. KI-gestützte Methoden wie LLM, RAG und Knowledge Graphs sollen digitale Qualitätsinfrastrukturen unterstützen, die Dokumenten- und Datenanalyse beschleunigen, ohne die menschliche Verantwortung für Sicherheitsbewertungen zu ersetzen. Zentrale Herausforderungen sind die Black-Box-Natur von KI, mögliche Halluzinationen, sowie die Sicherstellung von Reliabilität und Compliance. Ein innovativer Ansatz wird für die wiederkehrende Prüfung von Gasdruckspeichern vorgestellt: Durch die Kombination zerstörungsfreier Prüfungen mit ML-gestützter Datenanalyse können Sicherheitsreserven ausgewiesen und Kosten deutlich reduziert werden. T2 - 20. Gefahrgut-Technik-Tage CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 13.11.2025 KW - Artificial Intelligence KW - RAG KW - LLM PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64864 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - BAM-Testzentrum Wasserstoffsicherheit - Reallabore und Materialprüfung N2 - Der Vortrag gibt einen kompakten Überblick über das BAM-Testzentrum Wasserstoffsicherheit und seine Rolle bei der Forschung, Prüfung und Entwicklung sicherheitsrelevanter Technologien entlang der gesamten Wasserstoff-Wertschöpfungskette. Das Kompetenzzentrum H2Safety@BAM vereint wissenschaftliche Expertise, einmalige Infrastruktur und praxisnahe Reallabore, um Vertrauen in Wasserstoff als zukünftigen Energieträger zu schaffen. Im Mittelpunkt steht das Testgelände für Technische Sicherheit, das mit 12 km² zu den umfassendsten europäischen Einrichtungen für Sicherheitstests im Realmaßstab zählt. Dazu gehören eine Wasserstofftankstelle, Wasserstoffnetze im Reallabormaßstab, Prüfstände für Kryotechnik, Brand- und Explosionsversuche sowie eine im Bau befindliche Anlage zur Druckbehälterprüfung. Die Infrastruktur ermöglicht Freistrahlversuche, Jetflame-Tests sowie Untersuchungen für 1000-bar-Systeme. Im Reallabor Wasserstoffnetze werden Materialien, Gasqualitäten, dynamische Strömungsszenarien und Komponenten unter realistischen und kritischen Bedingungen untersucht, um die sichere Integration von Wasserstoff in bestehende und neue Pipelineinfrastrukturen zu ermöglichen. Parallel dazu schafft das Reallabor Wasserstofftankstelle die Grundlage für neue digitale Methoden der Qualitätsinfrastruktur von Sensornetzwerken über Echtzeit-Datenerfassung bis zur Anlagenüberwachung. Ein Beispiel ist die Optimierung von Betankungsprozessen mittels Digital Twin, die eindrucksvoll demonstriert, wie die Sicherheit bei Schnellbetankungen aufgezeigt werden kann. Mit Blick auf die Zukunft adressiert die BAM zudem die Sektorenkopplung. Datengetriebene Ansätze, KI und digitale Zwillinge sollen den sicheren und effizienten Betrieb von Elektrolyse, Energiespeichern und Wasserstoffanwendungen vernetzt unterstützen. Insgesamt zeigt die Präsentation, dass die BAM eine zentrale Institution für die sichere Transformation hin zu einer Wasserstoffwirtschaft ist - mit exzellenter Infrastruktur, praxisnahen Reallaboren und tiefgreifender Forschungskompetenz. T2 - Wasserstofftour durch die Regionen 2026 CY - Cottbus, Germany DA - 11.02.2026 KW - Reallabor KW - QI-Digital KW - Materialprüfung KW - Elektrolyse KW - Wertschöpfungskette KW - Testgelände PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65537 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönfelder, Thorsten A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank ED - Schönfelder, Thorsten T1 - Design assessment of a dual purpose cask for damaged spent nuclear fuel N2 - German package design approvals were granted recently for dual purpose casks (DPC) intended for loading with encapsulated damaged spent nuclear fuel (DSNF). Comprehensive assessment procedures were carried out by the authority BAM with respect to the mechanical and thermal package design, the activity release of radioactive material and quality assurance aspects for manufacturing and operation of each packaging. The objective of each procedure was to verify the Package Design Safety Report (PDSR) and the relevant guidelines fulfils the requirements of the IAEA regulations. Previous approvals of German SNF package designs consider mainly standard fuel assemblies with defined specifications and properties for transport and interim storage. Due to the nuclear power phase-out in Germany all kinds of SNF, e.g. damaged spent fuel rods shall be packed in DPC now. Therefore specific requirements shall be considered in accordance with international experiences including IAEA technical reports. The main requirement for DSNF is a tight encapsulation with specific defined properties under transport and storage conditions. Due to the interim storage period of currently up to 40 years the encapsulation with DSNF in the casks shall also be long term durable. Thus specific loading and drying procedures are necessary and had to be qualified during the approval process. BAM assessed these drying procedures and could confirm the long-term behaviour of the encapsulation and the suitability of the drying equipment. This special equipment was qualified in a “cold handling”. In addition, it was shown that the behaviour of the test equipment used in the qualification process was comparable with the original equipment, e.g. test fuel rods or test encapsulation. In the development of the drying process, experience was obtained in how to put the requirements of the IAEA regulations and related IAEA technical reports into practice. The paper gives an overview of approval assessment and testing experience made by BAM and point out the main resulting requirements on drying processes for these kinds of encapsulations with DSNF. T2 - Proceedings of the 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Assessment KW - Dual purpose cask KW - Spent nuclear fuel PY - 2019 SP - Paper 1204, 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-48685 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Müller, Lars A1 - Schönfelder, Thorsten A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Authority Experience during Design Approval Procedure for Packages Loaded with Special Encapsulations for Damaged Spent Nuclear Fuel N2 - The first German package design approval certificate for a dual purpose cask intended for loading with damaged spent nuclear fuel was issued recently. BAM as part of the competent authority system in Germany carried out a comprehensive assessment procedure with respect to the mechanical and thermal design, the release of radioactive material and the quality assurance aspects of manufacturing and operation. Packages for the transport and storage of radioactive material have been assessed by BAM for many years, thus the common assessment procedure is well-known and good practice. Up to now only SNF without defects or HLW with well-defined properties were designated for long-term Interim storage and transports afterwards. Due to Germany’s nuclear phase out all other kinds of spent nuclear fuel in particular damaged spent nuclear fuel shall be packed as well. Damaged spent nuclear fuel needs a tight closure with Special encapsulations and clearly defined properties in Germany. In addition, these encapsulations shall be long-term durable, because they are not accessible after loading in a packaging within periodical inspections. The main difference to Standard package components is that encapsulations with a permanent closure achieve their specified conditions not after manufacturing but only during operation, after loading and closing. To ensure compliance with the specific conditions, special measures for quality assurance are necessary during operation of each encapsulation, e.g. drying and sealing, which were assessed by BAM. The present paper gives an overview of the conducted assessment from BAM and point out the findings concerning to the special closure lid of the approved encapsulation, which is screwed and welded. A wide verification concept is necessary to show the specific tightness under transport conditions. Together with quality assurance measures during first operation steps these encapsulations with damaged spent nuclear fuel can be handled like standard fuel assemblies in approved package designs. T2 - International Conference on the Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 24.06.2019 KW - Transport package KW - Design approval KW - Spent nuclear fuel KW - Special encapsulation PY - 2019 SP - 1 EP - 9 AN - OPUS4-48749 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Feldkamp, Martin A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Fire reference test for IAEA package thermal testing in a propane gas fire test facility N2 - Packages for the transport of radioactive material shall withstand severe accidents. Therefore, the IAEA Regulations define different test scenarios to cover severe hypothetical accident conditions. One of these tests defined in detail is the thermal test, mainly consisting of a 30 minute fully engulfing 800 °C pool fire or an equally severe fire test. The heat fluxes into the package are of significant importance and depend substantially on the fire characteristics and the surface temperature of the package. In order to investigate the heat fluxes over a wide range of surface temperatures during a propane gas fire test and to get information about local fire impact a fire reference package, representing the outer geometry of a specific type of transport cask for radioactive waste, was designed. A closed steel sheet cylinder with a wall thickness of 10 mm was chosen as fire reference package. The cylinder was filled with refractory insulation material and instrumented with thermocouples distributed all over the cylinder. The local steel sheet temperatures measured allow the determination of local as well as global heat fluxes as a function of time and surface temperature. With this fire reference package three open-air propane gas fire tests were performed at BAM’s open air fire test stand. The flame exposure time period was changed for the different fire tests. Furthermore, the wind conditions changed between and during the tests. Test stand parameters like wind shield location and propane gas volume flow were chosen constant for the three tests. The test results were used to determine the changes of heat flux into the fire reference package in relation to the package surface temperature. This data also allows the calculation of local characteristics of the propane gas fire as there are the flame temperature, the fire convection coefficient and the radiation exchange coefficient in a first approach. The recently conducted tests provide an initial picture of local fire characteristics of the propane gas fire test facility. The test shows that the propane gas fire covers the IAEA-fire over a wide range of surface temperatures with the chosen test stand parameters. T2 - 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Fire test KW - Propane gas KW - Calorimetric test KW - IAEA fire testing PY - 2019 SP - Paper 1141, 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-48840 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Weber, Mike A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Zencker, Uwe T1 - Numerical approach to determine a package dependent bar length for the iaea pin drop test N2 - The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is assessing the mechanical and thermal safety performance of packages for the transport of radioactive materials. Drop testing and numerical calculations are usually part of the safety case concepts, where BAM is performing the regulatory tests at their own test facility site. Among other mechanical tests the 1 meter drop onto a steel puncture bar shall be considered for accident safe packages. According to the IAEA regulations “the bar shall be of solid mild steel of circular section, 15.0 ± 0.5 cm in diameter and 20 cm long, unless a longer bar would cause greater damage…”. Particularly with regard to the German transport- and storage cask designs, often made from ductile cast iron, an accurate determination of the puncture bar length to guarantee a load impact covering the worst case scenario can be imperative. If the fracture mechanical proof for the cask material shall be provided by a test, small deviations in the concentrated load applied can be decisive for the question if the cask fails or not. The most damaging puncture bar length can be estimated by iterative procedure in numerical simulations. On the one hand, a sufficient puncture bar length shall guarantee that shock absorbers or other attachments do not prevent or reduce the local load application to the package, on the other hand, a longer and thus less stiff bar causes a smaller maximum contact force. The contrary influence of increasing puncture bar length and increasing effective drop height shall be taken into account if a shock absorber is directly placed in the target area. The paper presents a numerical approach to identify the bar length that causes maximum damage to the package. Using the example of two typical package masses the sensitivity of contact forces and puncture bar deformations to the initial length are calculated and assessed with regard to the international IAEA package safety requirements. T2 - PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - IAEA KW - 1-m-punch-bar-drop-test KW - Numerical approach KW - Bar length KW - Finite element analysis PY - 2019 UR - https://www.inmm.org/INMM-Resources/Proceedings-Presentations/PATRAM-Proceedings.aspx SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-49016 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Neumeyer, Tino A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Application of leakage rates measured on scaled cask or component models to the package containment safety assessment N2 - The containment systems of transport and storage casks for spent fuel and highlevelradioactive waste usually include bolted lids with metallic or elastomeric seals. The mechanical and thermal loadings associated with the routine, normal and accident conditions of transport can have a significant effect on the leak tightness of such containment system. Scaled cask models are often used for providing the required mechanical and thermal tests series.Leak tests have been conducted on those models. It is also common practice to use scaled component tests to investigate the influence of deformations or displacements of the lids and the seals on the standard leakage rate as well as to study the temperature and time depending alteration of the seals. In this paper questions of the transferability of scaled test results to the full size design of the containment system will be discussed. T2 - 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Leakage rate KW - Transport packages KW - Seals KW - Radioaktive PY - 2019 SP - Paper 1147, 1 AN - OPUS4-49053 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 - Design assessment by bam of a new package design for the transport of snf from a german research reactor N2 - For disposal of the German research reactor of the Technical University Munich FRM II a new transport and storage cask design was under approval assessment by the German authorities. The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) assessed the mechanical and thermal package safety and performed drop tests. The activity release approaches and subjects of quality assurance and surveillance for manufacturing and operation of the package were assessed by BAM as well. 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 a wood-filled impact limiter is installed to reduce impact loads to the cask under drop test conditions. In the cavity of the cask a basket for five spent fuel assemblies is arranged. For the safety case 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 test 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-Analysis (FEA) used for the safety analysis of the package design. The finite-element models incorporated in the package design safety report include the cask body, the lid system, the inventory and the impact limiters with the fastening system. In this context special attention was paid to the modeling of the encapsulated wood-filled impact limiters. Additional calculations using the verified numerical models were done by the applicant and assessed by BAM to investigate e.g. the brittle fracture of the cask body made of ductile cask iron within the package design approval procedure. This paper describes the package design assessment from the view of the competent authority BAM including the applied assessment strategy, the conducted drop tests and the additional calculations by using numerical and analytical methods. T2 - 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Numerical modelling KW - Drop test KW - Assessment method KW - Ductile cast iron KW - Package design KW - Experimental testing PY - 2019 SP - Paper 1176, 1 AN - OPUS4-49054 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Schilling, O. A1 - Kuschke, Christian A1 - Darnstädt, A. A1 - Schubert, Sven A1 - Günther, U. A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Requirements for management systems for manufacturing of transport packages: the new revision of BAM-GGR 011 guideline N2 - In accordance with IAEA SSR-6 para 306 a management system shall be established and implemented to ensure compliance with the relevant provisions of the IAEA regulations. BAM has issued an update of the guideline: the BAM-GGR 011. The new revision describes necessary quality assurance measures for design, manufacture, testing, documentation, use, maintenance and inspection of packagings for package designs requiring competent authority approval for the transport of radioactive material. The measures can be categorised as system-related and design-related. They are independently approved and monitored by the German competent authority BAM and its authorised expert (BAM/T). The qualification of the organisation applying for the design approval certificate is reviewed in the context of the design approval procedure. The quality assurance measures for manufacture consist of three main steps. Pre-assessment of manufacturing documents such as quality plans, specifications etc., Manufacturing inspections according the pre-assessed documents and inspection before commissioning including documentation review. Periodic inspections during operation as well as relevant specifications for use and maintenance ensure that the properties specified in the approval certificate are preserved over the package life time. Special provisions for the return on experience regarding operational feedback for design, manufacture, use, maintenance and inspection are given. Special focus shall be given here to the rearranged and meanwhile established system of manufacturing inspections. This includes more transparent roles for a) the Producers authorised inspection 11282 representative, b) the independent inspection expert (S), acting on behalf of the manufacturer with acceptance of BAM, and c) BAM or its authorised expert (BAM/T). Additional attention shall be drawn to the management of deviations during manufacturing and provisions for maintenance and periodic inspections. T2 - 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Quality assurance KW - Transport KW - Manufacturing KW - Surveillance KW - Radioactive material PY - 2019 SP - Paper 1128, 1 AN - OPUS4-49059 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Apel, Andreas A1 - Kuschke, Christian A1 - Moutarde, M. A1 - Desnoyers, B. A1 - Kalinina, E. A1 - Ammerman, D. T1 - ISO-Standard and IAEA guidance material for package load attachment Points - Current approaches and developments N2 - For transport package design and operation according to the IAEA regulations, the package shall be securely stowed and its retention system shall be capable to withstand load conditions of routine transport. The supporting IAEA Advisory Material SSG-26 provides information how to do that. Up to now package designers in different countries use other load factors for the design of attachment points than those specified in the IAEA guidance material. In particular the acceleration values vary between different countries and lead to difficulties during the validation of foreign approval certificates. Therefore the IAEA started a discussion process to review the existing guidance text. An international working group was constituted in 2013. Representatives came from different stakeholders, e.g. transport operators, competent authorities and modal organizations. The discussions concluded especially on the transport conditions which has to be considered for stowage design, including on the one hand the relevance of the load factors used for strength and fatigue analysis and on the other hand the criteria which have to be considered for the attachment points. The proposed acceleration values will be compared to those measured during recent multi-modal testing by Sandia National Laboratories that measured the acceleration levels experienced by a spent fuel flask during heavy-haul truck, sea, and rail transport. The ISO standard 10276 is dealing with the load attachment systems of packages as well. This standard considers the trunnion design, manufacturing and operational aspects. The regular standard revision phase started in 2017. An expert group discussed new state-of-the-art technology, different analysis approaches for strength and fatigue analysis and proposed revised text for the ISO standard for international discussion. The finite-element analysis approach incl. appropriate acceptance criteria are described and referenced. The paper describes relevant tie-down aspects, gives background argumentation relevant to analysis approaches, and tries to support harmonized application of the revised IAEA guidance material and the future revised ISO standard. T2 - 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Load attachment KW - Stowage KW - Trunnion KW - Bolt design KW - Retention KW - Acceleration KW - Transport KW - Load cycles PY - 2019 SP - Paper 1130, 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-49095 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Debruyne, M. A1 - Eckert, B. A1 - Gauthier, F. A1 - Ben Ouaghrem, K. A1 - Le Bars, I. A1 - Jouve, A.-C. A1 - Cordier, N. T1 - Assessment of safety demonstrations relative to packages containing UF6 N2 - The safety demonstrations realized by applicants in the case of approval request for the package designs containing enriched UF6 have to take into account some specific technical issues. Concerning the shipment of enriched UF6, the package designs consist in general of a filled 30B cylinder surrounded by an overpack. The description of the content, considering the UF6 origin, i.e. natural or reprocessed, shall be clearly justified especially when the UF6 isotopic composition exceeds the limits specified in ASTM standards. Concerning the containment of the UF6, the applicant shall demonstrate in all conditions of transport the leak-tightness of the valve and plug of the cylinders filled with enriched UF6. In this regard, when mechanical justifications are based on numerical calculations, the absence of contact between these components of the cylinder and the internal surfaces of the overpack after the regulatory drop tests shall be shown to respect the IAEA regulations. Furthermore, the representativeness of the ballast used to simulate the behaviour of the UF6 loaded within the cylinder shall be justified if drop tests are performed. The representativeness of the ballast should also be justified for numerical calculations. In addition, the applicant shall demonstrate that the melting temperature of the valve and the plug, including the tinned joint, will not be exceeded during the regulatory fire test. Finally, specific provisions relative to the use of plugs and the maintenance of cylinders should be included in the safety analysis report. T2 - 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Valve KW - Fire test KW - Content simulation KW - UF6 KW - Intumescent material PY - 2019 SP - Paper 1208, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-49094 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - ISO-Standart and IAEA guidance material for package load attachment points N2 - For transport package design and operation according to the IAEA regulations, the package shall be securely stowed and its retention system shall be capable to withstand load conditions of routine transport. The supporting IAEA Advisory Material SSG-26 provides information how to do that. Up to now package designers in different countries use other load factors for the design of attachment points than those specified in the IAEA guidance material. In particular the acceleration values vary between different countries and lead to difficulties during the validation of foreign approval certificates. Therefore the IAEA started a discussion process to review the existing guidance text. An international working group was constituted in 2013. Representatives came from different stakeholders, e.g. transport operators, competent authorities and modal organizations. The discussions concluded especially on the transport conditions which has to be considered for stowage design, including on the one hand the relevance of the load factors used for strength and fatigue analysis and on the other hand the criteria which have to be considered for the attachment points. The proposed acceleration values will be compared to those measured during recent multi-modal testing by Sandia National Laboratories that measured the acceleration levels experienced by a spent fuel flask during heavy-haul truck, sea, and rail transport. The ISO standard 10276 is dealing with the load attachment systems of packages as well. This standard considers the trunnion design, manufacturing and operational aspects. The regular standard revision phase started in 2017. An expert group discussed new state-of-the-art technology, different analysis approaches for strength and fatigue analysis and proposed revised text for the ISO standard for international discussion. The finite-element analysis approach incl. appropriate acceptance criteria are described and referenced. The paper describes relevant tie-down aspects, gives background argumentation relevant to analysis approaches, and tries to support harmonized application of the revised IAEA guidance material and the future revised ISO standard. T2 - 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Load attachment KW - Stowage KW - Trunnion KW - Bolt design KW - Retention KW - Acceleration KW - Transport KW - Load cycles PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49096 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Linnemann, Konrad A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Sterthaus, Jens A1 - Rolle, Annette A1 - Wille, Frank A1 - Vlassopoulos, Efstathios A1 - Papaioannou, Dimitrios T1 - Numerical Simulation of Spent Fuel Segments under Transport Loads N2 - Packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel shall meet the International Atomic Energy Agency regulations to ensure safety under different transport conditions. The physical state of spent fuel and the fuel rod cladding as well as the geometric configuration of fuel assemblies are important inputs for the evaluation of package capabilities under these conditions. Generally, the mechanical behavior of high burn-up spent fuel assemblies under transport conditions shall be analyzed with regard to the assumptions which are used in the containment and criticality safety analysis. Considering the complexity of the interactions between the fuel rods as well as between the fuel assemblies, basket, and cask containment, the exact mechanical analysis of such phenomena is nearly impossible. The gaps in Information concerning the material properties of cladding and pellet behavior, especially for the high burn-up fuel, make the analysis more complicated additionally. As a result, enveloping analytical approaches are usually used by BAM within the safety assessment of packages approved for transport of spent nuclear fuel. To justify the safety margins of such approaches additional analyses are necessary. In this paper, numerical simulations of a spent fuel assembly Segment are presented. The segment modeled represents the part of a generalized BWR fuel assembly between two spacers. Dynamic and quasi-static finite element calculations are performed to simulate the spent fuel behavior under regulatory defined accident conditions of transport. Beam elements are used for the modeling of the fuel rods representing the compound consisting of claddings and fuel pellets. The dynamic load applied is gathered from an experimental drop test with a spent fuel cask performed at BAM. A hot cell bending test performed at JRC Karlsruhe is the basis for obtaining the material behavior of the fuel rods. The material properties are determined by simulating the test setup of JRC and optimizing the results to fit the experimental load deflection curve. The simulations of the fuel assembly segment are used to get a better understanding about the loads on fuel rods under accident conditions of transport. T2 - 17th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2019) CY - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA DA - 14.04.2019 KW - Spent Nuclear Fuel KW - Finite Element Simulation KW - Transport packages PY - 2019 SN - 978-1-51088-669-8 SP - 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-52046 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gröke, Carsten A1 - Neumann, Martin A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Anforderungen an die Bauartprüfung und Maßnahmen zur Qualitätssicherung für nicht zulassungspflichtige Versandstücke N2 - Überblick über die Regelwerksanforderungen an die Bauarten von nicht zulassungspflichtigen Versandstücken, sowie die zu erfüllenden Maßnahmen zur Qualitätssicherung für die Auslegung, die Herstellung und den Betrieb. T2 - KONTEC 2019 CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 27.03.2019 KW - Radioaktiv KW - Beförderung KW - IP-2 KW - IP-3 KW - Typ A KW - Anerkennung KW - Bauartprüfung PY - 2019 SP - 136 EP - 142 AN - OPUS4-56343 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Scheidemann, Robert A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Package testing of a dual purpose cask for SNF from German research reactors N2 - A new dual purpose cask design was developed for the safe transport and interim storage of spent fuel elements of German research reactors. In the framework of the safety assessment within the licensing procedure the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) as competent authority performed a series of drop tests according to the IAEA-Regulations [1]. The package consists of a cylindrical thick-walled ductile cast iron cask body closed by a double lid system with metallic seals. A lid and bottom sided impact limiter consisting of a wood/steel construction limit the mechanical impact loading. The full-scale test specimen was equipped with a basket and assembled with dummy-fuel elements. The package and test specimen, respectively have a total mass of approximately 24 metric tons. The mechanical test program included three 9m free drop tests, in horizontal, vertical and oblique cask orientation onto the lid system. Additionally, a 1m-puncture drop test followed the horizontal drop test to consider an IAEA-test sequence. The horizontal and vertical drop tests were performed at a temperature of minus 40°C. During the oblique drop test the upper impact limiter was heated to +80°C. The tests were conducted onto an unyielding target, fulfilling the requirements of the IAEA regulations [1]. The test specimen was considerably instrumented with strain gauges and accelerometers. Transient strains at selected locations of the inner and outer container walls, of the primary and secondary lid, as well as of the corresponding lid bolts were measured during the drop tests. Furthermore, decelerations in different locations at the cask body and the lids were measured. The complex geometrical deformation of the impact limiters due to the impact were determined by optical 3d- measurements using the projected fringe method in combination with multi-image photogrammetry. Before and after the drop tests the leakage rate of the lid system was determined by helium leakage testing. The experimental results contribute to the evaluation of the package response to mechanical tests, demonstrating safety under normal and accident conditions of transport. Especially to the verification of the dynamic finiteelement model of the package used in the package design safety report [2]. The paper describes the performance of the drop tests, selected test results focusing on the lid screws and the cask body and the deformation of the impact limiters as well as impact kinematics, respectively. T2 - IHLRWM2019 CY - Knoxville, TN, USA DA - 14.04.2019 KW - Drop test KW - Package testing KW - Dual purpose cask PY - 2019 SN - 978-0-89448-761-3 VL - 2019 SP - paper 27283, 1 EP - 7 PB - ANS AN - OPUS4-50619 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Quercetti, Thomas A1 - Scheidemann, Robert A1 - Komann, Steffen A1 - Ballheimer, Viktor A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Drop Testing of a New Package Design for the Transport of SNF from German Research Reactors N2 - A new dual purpose cask design was developed for the safe transport and interim storage of spent fuel elements of German research reactors. In the framework of the safety assessment within the package approval procedure the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) as competent authority performed a series of drop tests according with the IAEA Transport Regulations. The package consists of a cylindrical thick-walled ductile cast iron cask body closed by a bolted lid system with metallic seals. A lid and bottom sided impact limiter consisting of a wood/steel construction limit the mechanical impact loading. The full-scale test specimen was equipped with a basket and assembled with dummy-fuel elements. The package and test specimen, respectively have a total mass of approximately 24 metric tons. The mechanical drop test program included three 9m free drop tests, in horizontal, vertical and oblique cask orientation onto the lid system. Additionally, a 1m-puncture bar drop test followed the horizontal drop test to consider an IAEA-drop test sequence. The horizontal and vertical drop tests were performed at a temperature of minus 40°C. During the oblique drop test the upper impact limiter was heated up to +80°C. The tests were conducted onto an unyielding target, fulfilling the IAEA requirements. The test specimen was considerably instrumented with strain gauges and accelerometers. Transient strains at selected locations of the inner and outer container walls, of the primary and secondary lid, as well as of the corresponding lid bolts were measured during the drop tests. Furthermore, decelerations in different locations at the cask body and the lids were measured. The complex geometrical deformation of the impact limiters due to the impact were determined by optical 3D- measurements. Before and after the drop tests the leakage rate of the lid system was determined by helium leakage testing. The experimental results contribute to the evaluation of the package response to mechanical tests, demonstrating safety under normal and accident conditions of transport and especially to the verification of the dynamic finite-element model of the package used in the package design safety report. T2 - PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - SNF KW - Drop testing KW - New package design PY - 2019 SP - Paper 19-A-1142,1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-50622 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Soderer, Hannes A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Accident-Induced Battery and Hydrogen Fires: Challenges for the Safe Transport of Packages with Dangerous Goods N2 - The transport of radioactive material is subject to stringent safety requirements defined in the IAEA regulations SSR-6 [1]. These requirements, particularly the thermal and mechanical accident conditions of transport (ACT), are rooted in studies established in the 1960s and have remained largely unchanged, especially regarding thermal boundary conditions. For many decades, the type of propulsion technology used for transporting dangerous goods has remained unchanged. In recent years, however, alternative drive technologies have made their breakthrough and are becoming increasingly established on the market. Since then, the rapid adoption of battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles in heavy-duty freight and dangerous goods transport is altering the conditions under which accidents may occur. This raises a central question: Are current regulatory tests, such as the 800°C and 30-minute thermal test, still sufficiently conservative for ACT involving vehicles with alternative propulsion technologies? Battery fires pose specific challenges due to the properties of lithium-ion cells and emerging chemistries such as NMC, LFP, and NCA/LTO. Their highly flammable electrolytes, potential for thermal runaway, release of toxic gases, and long-duration or reigniting fires differ markedly from conventional fuel fires. Such behavior questions whether existing thermal test specifications adequately reflect realistic accident conditions involving electric vehicles. Hydrogen-powered vehicles introduce additional hazards. Accidental releases can form explosive mixtures, and ignitions may produce intense jet fires or explosions with high radiative heat fluxes. Near a package, these events can create thermal loads and transient pressures not fully captured by current regulatory test envelopes. Beyond peak temperatures and exposure time, parameters emphasized in IAEA SSG-26 [2], such as emissivity, absorptivity, heat flux, and fuel energy density, are critical for determining net heat input and require assessment with respect to realistic scenarios. Addressing these gaps requires a research program focused on vehicle fire scenarios and their implications for the safety assessment of packages for radioactive material. This includes developing conservative accident scenarios for various battery chemistries and performing large-scale experiments with calorimetric reference packages and instrumented setups. Notably, there are currently no experimental investigations of accidents involving transport vehicles with alternative propulsion in which the dangerous goods - the package and its loading - have been the central focus rather than the vehicle itself. A necessary research project must aim to assess the relevance of the IAEA's existing transport testing requirements regarding these new risks and, if necessary, propose changes or supplementary measures. Its methods and datasets should also support assessments for other dangerous goods, ensuring that regulatory measures continue to provide robust protection in an evolving transport landscape. T2 - International Conference on the Safe and Secure Transport of Nuclear and Radioactive Material CY - Wien, Austria DA - 23.03.2026 KW - IAEA Regulations KW - Fire Test Stand KW - Accident Scenario KW - Fire Qualification PY - 2026 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - International Atomic Energy Agency CY - Wien AN - OPUS4-65806 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gleim, Tobias A1 - Tazefidan, Kutlualp A1 - Wille, Frank T1 - Ai-Enhanced Documentation Analysis in Regulatory Safety Assessment of Transport Packages N2 - The transport of radioactive material requires regulatory approval based on the package type, as defined by the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These approvals rely on comprehensive Package Design Safety Reports that evaluate mechanical, thermal, shielding, criticality and transport requirements, supported by specifications, inspections, certificates, drawings, and other technical documentations. Such safety reports contain numerous interconnected documents, and even minor changes, such as component modifications, updated material properties or revised regulations, may affect multiple sections. Although all reports follow the same regulatory framework, each package has unique design features, making every safety assessment distinct. Most documentation exists in digital form but remains largely non–machine-interpretable, limiting automated analysis of dependencies across documents. The extended synopsis argues that overcoming these limitations requires moving from simple digitization toward structured knowledge representation. A multi-stage approach begins with foundational AI technologies, including Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), which improve information retrieval but cannot capture the full complexity of safety report interrelationships. Building Knowledge Graphs (KGs) offers the necessary next step by transforming heterogeneous, unstructured, and semi-structured documents into a connected, queryable network. KGs enable precise tracing and visualization of dependencies across datasheets, simulations, experimental results, standards, and regulatory requirements. Such structured representations would allow automatic detection of changes, propagation of effects across related documents and validation of conditions using AI-supported tools, reducing manual workload, and improving safety and consistency. Human error remains a significant factor in drafting and reviewing safety reports. A digital quality infrastructure could reduce the number of iterations and further streamline the overall process. Integrating AI into this workflow has the potential not only to optimize assessments but also to improve their robustness by increasing the interpretability of documentation and thereby enhancing overall safety. This preliminary study examines the readiness and requirements for intelligent documentation analysis systems that support regulatory compliance for transport package safety. By analysing current documentation workflows, it demonstrates how LLM-based tools can interpret complex safety reports and identify critical interdependencies, and why KG-based architectures are essential for managing these dependencies reliably. T2 - International Conference on the Safe and Secure Transport of Nuclear and Radioactive Material CY - Wien, Austria DA - 23.03.2026 KW - Knowledge Graph KW - AI KW - RAG KW - LLM PY - 2026 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - International Atomic Energy Agency CY - Wien AN - OPUS4-65808 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -