TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Stand bei den Behälterbauartprüfungen für das Endlager Konrad N2 - Die Verfügbarkeit von Behältern für die Entsorgung nicht Wärme entwickelnder radioaktiver Abfälle im Endlager Konrad stellt ein wesentliches Element des nationalen Entsorgungskonzeptes für diese Abfallart dar. Grundlage für die Verfügbarkeit geeigneter Behälter sind typspezifische Bauartprüfungen, auf deren Grundlage eine Eignungs-feststellung in Form eines Prüfzeugnisses durch die Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (BGE), vormals Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), erfolgt. Die Prüfgrundlagen sind in den durch das BfS (heute BGE) veröffent-lichten „Anforderungen an endzulagernde radioaktive Abfälle“ (Endlagerungsbedingungen) sowie der zugehörigen „Produktkontrolle radioaktiver Abfälle, radiologische Aspekte“ (PK) verankert. Die Eignungsfeststellung für eine Be-hälterbauart ist gleichzeitig die Grundlage für eine Behälterserienfertigung entsprechend den im Prüfzeugnis veran-kerten Spezifikationen und Randbedingungen. Mit den Gesetzen zur Neuordnung der Organisationsstruktur im Bereich der Endlagerung (Mitte 2016) und zur Neuordnung der Verantwortung in der kerntechnischen Entsorgung (Mitte 2017) mit der Finanzierung des Kern-energieausstiegs wurden wesentliche Weichenstellungen im Hinblick auf den anstehenden Rückbau der bereits stillgelegten und in den kommenden Jahren noch stillzulegenden deutschen Kernkraftwerke vorgenommen. Bezüg-lich der nicht Wärme entwickelnden radioaktiven Abfälle führt dies zu einer spürbaren Intensivierung der Anstren-gungen zur Bereitstellung qualifizierter Gebinde für das Endlager Konrad, das nach aktueller Planung bis 2027 sei-nen Einlagerungsbetrieb aufnehmen soll. Dies wiederum führt zu einer erheblichen Verdichtung der Verfahren zur Behälterbauartprüfung, die allen Seiten (Antragsteller, BGE, Gutachter) erhebliche Anstrengungen abfordert. Die Bundesanstalt für Materialprüfung und –forschung (BAM) ist auf Grundlage des Kap. 7 der o. g. „Produktkon-trolle …“ (PK) von der BGE mit den Behälterbauartprüfungen für das Endlager Konrad beauftragt. Hierbei ist eine Vielzahl von Anforderungen zu berücksichtigen, wozu neben den Anforderungen an Abfallbehälter gemäß Kap. 5 der Endlagerungsbedingungen weitere Anforderungen an die Verpackung (Kap. 3.2.2 PK), Kenngrößen (Kap. 3.5.1 PK) und schließlich die eigentliche Prüfung von Behältern/Verpackungen zählt (Kap. 7 PK). Letzteres beinhaltet die umfassende Behälterbeschreibung und –spezifikation, die Behälterauslegung, die thermischen und mechanischen Baumusterprüfungen (z.B. Brand- und Fallprüfungen), und schließlich die qualitätssichernden Maßnahmen für Her-stellung und Betrieb der Behälter. Neben der klassischen Bauartprüfung neuer Behältertypen spielt auch die Prü-fung bereits hergestellter Behälter, sog. Altbehälter, eine wesentliche Rolle, da sich etliche tausend Gebinde bereits in der Zwischenlagerung befinden und nach Möglichkeit für das Endlager Konrad qualifiziert werden sollen. Dieser Beitrag berichtet aktuell über den Umfang und Stand der laufenden Bauartprüfungen bei der BAM unter Be-rücksichtigung der besonderen Herausforderungen und der zuletzt erzielten Fortschritte. Dabei erfordert die paral-lele Bearbeitung der zahlreichen Verfahren einen verstärkten Koordinierungsbedarf hinsichtlich vergleichbarer fach-licher Aspekte sowie hinsichtlich Priorisierung und Ressourceneinsatz. Bei den experimentellen Nachweisen (Fall- und Brandversuche) betrifft das hinsichtlich der Nutzung der Versuchseinrichtungen bei der BAM die Koordination mit anderen Prüfaufträgen, wie z. B. verkehrsrechtliche Baumusterprüfungen. Schließlich erfordern diverse Fach-fragen zur Interpretation der Anforderungen aus Endlagerungsbedingungen und Produktkontrolle intensive Abstim-mungsprozesse zwischen BAM, BGE und Antragstellern. Wichtige Ergebnisse mit übergeordneter Bedeutung wer-den in Form erläuternder Fachnotizen durch die BGE veröffentlicht und können so bei zukünftigen Antragsverfahren berücksichtigt werden. T2 - KONTEC 2019 CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 27.03.2019 KW - Endlager KW - Container KW - Bauartprüfung KW - Konrad PY - 2019 SP - Paper 017, 205 EP - 212 PB - Kontec GmbH CY - Hamburg AN - OPUS4-47667 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Stand bei den Behälterbauartprüfungen für das Endlager Konrad N2 - Die Verfügbarkeit von Behältern für die Entsorgung nicht Wärme entwickelnder radioaktiver Abfälle im Endlager Konrad stellt ein wesentliches Element des nationalen Entsorgungskonzeptes für diese Abfallart dar. Grundlage für die Verfügbarkeit geeigneter Behälter sind typspezifische Bauartprüfungen, auf deren Grundlage eine Eignungs-feststellung in Form eines Prüfzeugnisses durch die Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (BGE), vormals Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), erfolgt. Die Prüfgrundlagen sind in den durch das BfS (heute BGE) veröffent-lichten „Anforderungen an endzulagernde radioaktive Abfälle“ (Endlagerungsbedingungen) sowie der zugehörigen „Produktkontrolle radioaktiver Abfälle, radiologische Aspekte“ (PK) verankert. Die Eignungsfeststellung für eine Behälterbauart ist gleichzeitig die Grundlage für eine Behälterserienfertigung entsprechend den im Prüfzeugnis verankerten Spezifikationen und Randbedingungen. Mit den Gesetzen zur Neuordnung der Organisationsstruktur im Bereich der Endlagerung (Mitte 2016) und zur Neuordnung der Verantwortung in der kerntechnischen Entsorgung (Mitte 2017) mit der Finanzierung des Kern-energieausstiegs wurden wesentliche Weichenstellungen im Hinblick auf den anstehenden Rückbau der bereits stillgelegten und in den kommenden Jahren noch stillzulegenden deutschen Kernkraftwerke vorgenommen. Bezüg-lich der nicht Wärme entwickelnden radioaktiven Abfälle führt dies zu einer spürbaren Intensivierung der Anstren-gungen zur Bereitstellung qualifizierter Gebinde für das Endlager Konrad, das nach aktueller Planung bis 2027 sei-nen Einlagerungsbetrieb aufnehmen soll. Dies wiederum führt zu einer erheblichen Verdichtung der Verfahren zur Behälterbauartprüfung, die allen Seiten (Antragsteller, BGE, Gutachter) erhebliche Anstrengungen abfordert. Die Bundesanstalt für Materialprüfung und –forschung (BAM) ist auf Grundlage des Kap. 7 der o. g. „Produktkon-trolle …“ (PK) von der BGE mit den Behälterbauartprüfungen für das Endlager Konrad beauftragt. Hierbei ist eine Vielzahl von Anforderungen zu berücksichtigen, wozu neben den Anforderungen an Abfallbehälter gemäß Kap. 5 der Endlagerungsbedingungen weitere Anforderungen an die Verpackung (Kap. 3.2.2 PK), Kenngrößen (Kap. 3.5.1 PK) und schließlich die eigentliche Prüfung von Behältern/Verpackungen zählt (Kap. 7 PK). Letzteres beinhaltet die umfassende Behälterbeschreibung und –spezifikation, die Behälterauslegung, die thermischen und mechanischen Baumusterprüfungen (z.B. Brand- und Fallprüfungen), und schließlich die qualitätssichernden Maßnahmen für Her-stellung und Betrieb der Behälter. Neben der klassischen Bauartprüfung neuer Behältertypen spielt auch die Prü-fung bereits hergestellter Behälter, sog. Altbehälter, eine wesentliche Rolle, da sich etliche tausend Gebinde be-reits in der Zwischenlagerung befinden und nach Möglichkeit für das Endlager Konrad qualifiziert werden sollen. Dieser Beitrag berichtet aktuell über den Umfang und Stand der laufenden Bauartprüfungen bei der BAM unter Be-rücksichtigung der besonderen Herausforderungen und der zuletzt erzielten Fortschritte. Dabei erfordert die paral-lele Bearbeitung der zahlreichen Verfahren einen verstärkten Koordinierungsbedarf hinsichtlich vergleichbarer fach-licher Aspekte sowie hinsichtlich Priorisierung und Ressourceneinsatz. Bei den experimentellen Nachweisen (Fall- und Brandversuche) betrifft das hinsichtlich der Nutzung der Versuchseinrichtungen bei der BAM die Koordination mit anderen Prüfaufträgen, wie z. B. verkehrsrechtliche Baumusterprüfungen. Schließlich erfordern diverse Fach-fragen zur Interpretation der Anforderungen aus Endlagerungsbedingungen und Produktkontrolle intensive Abstim-mungsprozesse zwischen BAM, BGE und Antragstellern. Wichtige Ergebnisse mit übergeordneter Bedeutung wer-den in Form erläuternder Fachnotizen durch die BGE veröffentlicht und können so bei zukünftigen Antragsverfahren berücksichtigt werden. T2 - KONTEC 2019 CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 27.03.2019 KW - Endlager KW - Container KW - Bauartprüfung KW - Konrad PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-47668 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Bevilacqua, A. A1 - Alejano, C. A1 - Conde, J.M. A1 - Einziger, R.E. A1 - Fukuda, S.-I. A1 - González Espartero, A. A1 - Gouzy-Portaix, S. A1 - Haddad Andalaf, R.E. A1 - Hambley, D. A1 - Issard, H. A1 - Kessler, J. A1 - Kurpaska, L. A1 - Legat, A. A1 - Qureshi, A.H. A1 - Ruiz, J. A1 - Shirai, K. A1 - Šmaižys, A. A1 - Verrastro, C.A. ED - González Espartero, A. T1 - Demonstrating performance of spent fuel and related storage system components during very long term storage - Final report of a coordinated research project N2 - This publication summarizes the work carried out during an IAEA coordinated research project (CRP) on safe and reliabe management of spent nuclear fuel. This work contributes to the overall goal of demonstrating the performance of spent nuclear fuel and related storage systems components over long durations, and facilitates the transfer of this knowledge to Member States. The technical areas addressed by the CRP participants were related to potential degradation mechanisms in metal casks and concrete overpacks, such as stress corrosion cracking; long term integrity and performance of the fuel cladding; thermo-mechanical behaviour of the metal seals; and long term gamma and neutron shielding capability. The participants also considered past and ongoing demonstration programmes. For each technical topic addressed the main conclusions have been drawn, including information on the development of specific monitoring and inspection techniques as well as future opportunities for closing relevant data gaps. A major achievement is also the establishment of a worldwide network of experts working on current research projects to demonstrate the long term performance of spent fuel in dry storage systems. KW - Spent fuel KW - Storage system components KW - Very long term storage PY - 2019 UR - https://www.iaea.org/publications/13553/demonstrating-performance-of-spent-fuel-and-related-storage-system-components-during-very-long-term-storage SN - 978–92–0–103319–2 SN - 1011–4289 VL - 1878 SP - 1 EP - 198 PB - IAEA Publishing Section CY - Vienna, Austria AN - OPUS4-48519 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Simbruner, Kai A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Brittle failure of spent fuel claddings under long-term dry interim storage conditions – Preliminary analysis N2 - The evaluation of cladding integrity is a major issue to be demonstrated in Germany for extended interim storage periods up to 100 years and subsequent transportation considering operational and accidental conditions with respect to reactor operation, cask drying and dry interim storage. The chemical reaction between the zirconium fuel cladding and the cooling water in water-cooled reactors produces hydrogen and zirconium oxide. Hydrogen diffuses into the cladding and precipitates as zirconium hydrides when the solubility limit is reached, preferably oriented in hoop direction. At high temperatures during vacuum drying procedures, the hydrides can dissolve. Over a succeeding period of slow cooling with existing hoop stress the hydrides precipitate again, but partly reoriented along the radial direction of the cladding. This change of microstructure in combination with a decreasing temperature (0.5...2 K/year) during (extended) interim storage and additional mechanical load by handling procedures or under accident conditions could lead to a potential cladding embrittlement and consequently increased failure probability. The current research project BRUZL (Fracture mechanical analysis of spent fuel claddings under long-term dry interim storage conditions) has been launched by BAM to investigate potential sudden brittle failure of spent fuel claddings at small deformation under long-term dry interim storage conditions and is presented. T2 - IAEA International Conference on the Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 24.06.2019 KW - Ageing Management KW - Cladding Embrittlement KW - Extended Storage KW - Ring Compression Test KW - Spent Nuclear Fuel PY - 2019 SP - Paper IAEA-CN-272/49, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-48869 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Qiao, Linan A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Fracture mechanical analysis of a cylindrical cast iron cask N2 - The safety evaluation of cask components made of ductile cast iron includes investigations to prevent brittle fracture. Generally, ductile cast iron is endangered by brittle fracture especially at low temperatures (down to -40°C) and in combination with existing crack-like material defects. An applicable method is the assessment of fracture resistance using fracture mechanics according to the IAEA guidelines. The approach is based on the prevention of fracture initiation. For application of these principles for drop loads, account must be taken both of dynamic stresses within the component and dynamic material behavior. Basically, the dynamic stress intensity factor of postulated pre-existing crack-like defects is compared with the dynamic fracture toughness of the material. Applicable numerical and experimental methods for the safety assessment of cask components are demonstrated for the case of an artificially pre-cracked cylindrical cast iron cask which undergoes dynamic loading conditions as result of the hard impact between the cask and a concrete target. The proposed evaluation procedure is a combination of numerical and experimental steps. Exemplarily, the calculated stress intensity factor is compared with measured fracture toughness values from single edge notched bending specimens. T2 - 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 2019) CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Ductile Cast Iron KW - Brittle Fracture KW - Cylindrical Cask PY - 2019 SP - Paper 1209, 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-48914 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Internationale Forschung zur langfristigen trockenen Zwischenlagerung bestrahlter Brennelemente N2 - Der Vortrag adressiert die internationalen Forschungsprogramme und -schwerpunkte im Zusammenhang mit der Notwendigkeit einer deutlich verlängerten Zwischenlagerung Wärme entwickelnder radioaktiver Abfälle. T2 - BGZ - Workshop Zwischenlagerung CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 22.10.2019 KW - Zwischenlagerung KW - Radioaktive Abfälle KW - Behälter PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49619 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger ED - Stuke, M. T1 - Long-term evaluation of sealing systems for radioactive waste packages N2 - The investigation of the long-term performance of sealing systems employed in containers for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel is one research focus area for division 3.4 “Safety of Storage Containers” at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM). Our investigations comprise investigations on metallic and elastomeric seals and covers experimental investigations to get a database on the component/material behaviour, work on analytical descriptions and numerical analysis. Our aim is to understand the long-term behaviour of the sealing systems for evaluation of their performance during possible extended interim storage and subsequent transportation. T2 - 3rd Workshop on Safety of Extended Dry Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel CY - Garching, Germany DA - 05.06.2019 KW - Seal performance KW - Rubber seal KW - Metallic seal KW - Ageing PY - 2019 SP - 57 EP - 62 AN - OPUS4-48225 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Component and material investigations on metal seals for high level radioactive waste containers N2 - Long-term investigations performed at BAM look to extend the state of knowledge on safety-related components of interim storage containers. Metal seals act as the primary sealing barrier in the bolted double lid closure system of the containers. The behaviour of metal seals has been investigated for ageing times up to 8.5 years and for various temperatures. The main cause for reduction in useable resilience overtime was due to creep deformation of the outer jacket of the seal. KW - Metal seal KW - Radioactive waste containers KW - Creep KW - Long-term behaviour PY - 2018 SN - 1745-2058 SP - 32 EP - 34 PB - Nuclear Institute CY - London AN - OPUS4-48206 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Research at BAM on Metal Seal Performance and Fuel Rod Integrity N2 - The presentation provides an update on preliminary results from research projects in the area of long term performance of metal seals and fuel rod integrity as safety relevant components of spent fuel transport and storage casks for spent nuclear fuel. T2 - Extended Storage Collaboration Program (ESCP) Winter Meeting 2020 CY - Online meeting DA - 09.11.2020 KW - Metal seal KW - Safety KW - Interim storage KW - Spent nuclear fuel KW - Fuel rod PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51615 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Component and material investigations on metal seals for high level radioactive waste containers N2 - In Germany casks for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste are equipped with Helicoflex® metal seals as main sealing barrier of the double lid system. The long-term behaviour of those seals is investigated at Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) in order to evaluate the safety function of the containment at different temperatures over storage periods of 40 years or more in case extended interim storage becomes necessary. Long-term investigations have been done for ageing times of up to 8.5 years at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 150 °C. It was found that the seal force and useable resilience decrease over time, which is mainly caused by creep deformation of the aluminium (or silver) outer jacket of the seals. This effect becomes stronger with increasing temperature. The ageing processes of the seal material and the overall seal behaviour is under investigation in order to derive analytical descriptions for the long-term seal performance. Thus, standardized tests on the basic seal materials, with focus on aluminium, and additional investigations on the seals as a component are conducted. The current investigations include compression and tension creep measurements as well as tensile testing. Furthermore, ageing of seal segments provides information on the development of the contact area width, jacket thickness and microstructural changes in dependence of time and temperature. The obtained data are used for the development of material models and an analytical approach to describe and predict the time and temperature dependent sealing behaviour in the long-term. T2 - 11th International Conference on the Transport, Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Materials CY - London, UK DA - 15.05.2018 KW - Metal seal KW - Creep KW - Long-term behavior PY - 2018 SP - 18535, 1 EP - 6 AN - OPUS4-45452 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Hagenow, Peter A1 - Kasparek, Eva Maria A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Noack, Volker A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Requirements for the use of elastomer seals in casks for final disposal of low and intermediate level waste N2 - Elastomer seals are widely used as barrier seals in containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and in some countries for spent fuel transportation casks. Depending on the area of use, the rubber materials have to demonstrate proper sealing performance with regard to mechanical, thermal and environmental conditions as well as irradiation during the entire operation period. In Germany the low and intermediate level radioactive waste is planned to be disposed in the Konrad repository in standardized containers. Many of these containers use an elastomer seal between lid and container body. Depending on the radiactive inventory and a possible containment of the waste in inner barrels and/or concrete structures, such containers may require a specific leak tightness. In such cases, specified leakage rates are shall not be exceeded by the the seals to keep potential activity releases from the inventories well below defined limits. Generally, all waste containers have to fulfill the waste acceptance criteria for the Konrad repository as defined by the reports BfS SE-IB-29/08 and SE-IB-30/08. From these criteria several requirements for seal performance are derived. The seals have to: - ensure full functionality until final container disposal, - maintain its function in case of a thermal or mechanical accident, - ensure encapsulation also at -20 °C. This combination of requirements is challenging especially as a seal exchange, which is typical for many other applications, is hardly possible and thus a sound understanding of how to perform safety evaluation of containers is required. Therefore BAM has initiated investigations on elastomer seal behaviour. This work focuses on low temperature behaviour and sealing performance concerning static conditions as well as partial loss of compression and ageing of elastomer seals. Concerning ageing, property changes caused by long-term thermooxidative conditions as well as gamma irradiation are investigated. This contribution presents an overview and explanation of the aims of the ongoing research and gives an update of the most relevant results. T2 - 13th Internationales Symposium "Konditionierung radioaktiver Betriebs- und Stillegungsabfälle CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 22.03.2017 KW - Disposal KW - Konrad repository KW - Seal PY - 2017 SP - 595 EP - 601 AN - OPUS4-39870 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Horn, Jutta A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Long-Term Performance of Elastomer seals - From Aging Tests to Lifetime Estimations N2 - Elastomers show a high versatility which makes them ideal materials for sealing applications in various fields. Especially under changing application conditions the high recovery potential of this class of material is beneficial to compensate temperature or pressure fluctuation, and geometrical changes resulting from mechanical loads in e.g. accident conditions. Out of these reasons elastomers are also used in containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and for spent fuel transportation casks. In casks designed for low and intermediate level waste elastomer seals can act as primary seal responsible for the containment function whereas in spent fuel storage and transportation casks (dual purpose casks (DPC)) elastomer seals are used as auxiliary seals to allow leakage rate measurements of metal barrier seals. An inherent prerequisite for this kind of application is the Long time-scale of operation without or with limited possibility of seal replacement. In Germany an interim storage license for DPC`s is typically issued for 40 years, a timeframe which might increase in the future due to challenges of the final repository siting procedure. For low and intermediate level waste, also long time periods are required before final disposal can be achieved. Therefore, the performance of elastomer seals over extended time periods is, as for other applications, of high importance. A typical approach to ensure long-term functionality is to perform accelerated aging tests to calculate an estimated lifetime by assuming e.g. Arrhenius like equations for the timetemperature relationship. This approach requires a suitable end of life criterion considering the application of interest. This often can represent a challenge on its own. As BAM is involved in most of the cask licensing procedures and especially responsible for the evaluation of cask-related long-term safety issues we initiated several test programs for investigating the behavior of elastomer seals. Experiments concerning the low temperature performance down to -40 °C and the influence of gamma irradiation have been started first. Currently the thermal aging behavior of elastomer seals, which is the topic of this contribution, is examined. For our aging investigations we use a broad approach to first determine the property changes in different elastomer materials due to thermo-oxidative aging at elevated temperatures and secondly, we test how the typical methods of lifetime extrapolation can be applied to these results. This Approach enables us to detect and exclude undesired side effects which very often influence lifetime estimations. In this contribution, our recent results are extended. The results show that lifetime estimation based on single material properties can be misleading and therefore a combination of several methods is recommended. T2 - ASME 2018 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference CY - Prague, Czech Republic DA - 15.07.2018 KW - Seal performance KW - Rubber KW - Ageing PY - 2018 VL - PVP2018 SP - 84631-1 EP - 84631-8 AN - OPUS4-46346 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Goral, Milan A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Wossidlo, Peter A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Langzeitversuche über 10 Jahre an Federkern-Metalldichtungen mit Aluminium- bzw. Silberummantelungen N2 - Federunterstützte Metalldichtungen mit Aluminium(Al)- oder Silber(Ag)-Ummantelung werden u.a. in Behältern für Wärme entwickelnde radioaktive Abfälle eingesetzt, da diese Dichtungen eine sehr gute Dichtheit gewährleisten sowie Langlebigkeit und Beständigkeit gegenüber erhöhten Temperaturen und radioaktiver Strahlung aufweisen. Auch wenn die Sicherheit solcher Behälter und der verwendeten Dichtungen vielfach belegt wurde, sind sie Gegenstand andauernder Forschung, etwa im Hinblick auf eine absehbar benötigte verlängerte Zwischenlagerdauer. Aus diesem Grund werden an der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) im Fachbereich 3.4 „Sicherheit von Lagerbehältern“ seit über 20 Jahren Versuche an solchen Metalldichtungen durchgeführt. Dabei sollen zusätzliche Erkenntnisse hinsichtlich der Sicherheitsreserven der Dichtungen in unterstellten Störfallszenarien (axiale Bewegung des Deckelsystems bzw. Aufweitung der Nutgeometrie) und insbesondere detailliertere Erkenntnisse zum Langzeitverhalten gewonnen werden. KW - Federunterstützte Metalldichtungen KW - Transport- und Lagerbehälter für radioaktive Stoffe KW - Langzeitversuche KW - Alterung KW - Dichtheit KW - Leckagerate KW - Helium-Dichtheitsprüfung PY - 2023 VL - 2023 SP - 43 EP - 63 PB - ISGATEC GmbH CY - Mannheim AN - OPUS4-56399 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Investigation programme for evaluation and prediction of the long-term behaviour of Helicoflex® metal seals N2 - In Germany, for the transport and storage of spent nuclear fuel, casks with double closure lid systems are used, which are equipped with Helicoflex® metal seals. The original interim storage period for these casks was planned to be 40 years. However, recent political developments indicate that a storage time of more than 80 years might be necessary. Therefore, the current storage licenses have to be renewed in due course, which requires extended knowledge of the long-term behaviour of all cask components. At the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), metal seals have been investigated after ageing at temperatures between room temperature and 150 °C for up to 7 years. At regular intervals the seals have been tested for leakage rate as well as for their mechanical behaviour. From these tests pronounced influence of ageing could be shown which results in the decrease of the seal force and the useable resilience. The main reason attributed to these performance changes is the increasing permanent deformation of the outer layer of the seal due to creep. So far, an explicit analytical description of the long-term behaviour that could be used for predictions exceeding the tested ageing times and temperatures was not suitable. In addition to the component tests that were already conducted, a comprehensive investigation programme has been started to describe the mechanical behaviour of the individual seal components. The individual seal components are tested regarding different material characteristics including creep, deformation and microstructural properties. The comparability of the material characterization is ensured by comparing the basic raw material of the specimen with the actual component material. Furthermore, detailed investigations of the time and temperature dependent deformation behaviour are realized by ageing seal segments at multiple temperatures for different periods of time and employing standardized tests. By analysing the acquired data in combination with the ongoing long-term component tests a dataset for analytical prediction of the long-term behaviour of the seals is intended for an extended period of time under a certain temperature regime. T2 - 48th Annual Meeting on Nuclear Technology (AMNT 2017) CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 16.05.2017 KW - Metal seal KW - Creep KW - Long-term behavior PY - 2017 SP - 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-43418 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Material investigation and long-term sealing behavior of Helicoflex® metal seals used in containers for spent nuclear fuel N2 - In Germany spent nuclear fuel is stored and transported in casks that possess bolted lid systems equipped with double jacket metal seals of Helicoflex® type in order to enable safe enclosure of the radioactive inventory. A dry interim storage period of 40 years was planned and the casks are licensed for that time span. However, due to political reasons and delayed disposal projects this time span is expected to increase significantly. It is therefore necessary to evaluate the long-term sealing behavior of the casks exceeding 40 years of operating time. In this paper, we discuss our approach to investigate the aging behavior of such metal seals, and to predict the long-term sealing behavior. Accelerated aging component tests with seals are performed at temperatures up to 150°C to investigate the course of seal force, useable resilience and leakage rate. Even though these tests have already shown a significant decrease in seal force and useable resilience after aging times of less than 1 year, for most seals the leakage rate stayed better than the specified value. However, observation of the leakage rate has to be continued to determine the aging effect on the seal properties. As a main influence on the seal long-term behavior the increasing permanent deformation of the outer jacket has been recognized. It is made of aluminum or silver which means that the temperatures that are relevant for the aforementioned application in casks lead to creep deformation. For further investigation of seal behavior a comprehensive research program concerning the material characteristics and aging behavior of the individual seal components, with an emphasis on the outer jacket material, has been launched. The aim is to get a better understanding of the time and temperature dependent creep mechanisms and deformation. The examinations are separated into tests on seal segments and tests on standardized specimen. In order to be able to study the aging process, seal segments are compressed in flanges and stored at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 150°C. After defined time intervals the segments are analyzed by using standardized tests including structure investigation and creep tests. The results are compared with the behavior of the specimen basic raw material. This is done to ensure comparability of the thin jacket material and additional sheet material used for standardized tests. Thus, the prediction of component changes after different aging times at different temperatures can be made. As a result forecasts on the long term seal behavior are intended. T2 - Waste Management Symposia CY - Phoenix, AZ, USA DA - 05.03.2017 KW - Metal seal KW - Creep KW - Long-term behavior PY - 2017 SN - 978-0-9828171-6-2 SP - Article 17135, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-40611 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Weber, Mike A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Goral, Milan A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Reproducing and discussion of mechanisms in the contact area between metallic seals and flange during aging by finite element analysis (FEA) N2 - When the first site-specific interim storage licenses for DPCs (dual purpose casks), loaded with spent nuclear fuel or vitrified high-level waste from reprocessing were issued, a duration of 40 years was considered for interim storage license application and the long-term safety assessment of casks. In the meantime, the availability of a final repository is further delayed by several decades and thus interim storage for more than a century becomes a necessity. To assess the long-term performance of the typically used metal seals (e.g. Helicoflex), consisting of a helical spring (Nimonic), an inner stainless steel liner and an outer liner made from silver or aluminum, several experimental programs were conducted and are still ongoing. The investigated metal seals are typically mounted in mock-up flange systems and stored at increased temperatures to accelerate the aging process. In certain intervals the remaining seal force, the useable resilience and the corresponding leakage rate are determined. BAM has accompanied such programs for many years and started independent investigations in 2009. Although the remaining seal force is often used as “…one of the key parameters regarding sealing performances over time…” the presented results so far have shown that the courses of the leakage rate and the remaining seal force do not always correlate as expected. In 2016 BAM firstly published results of seals with aluminum liners where the measured leakage rate started to rise after a quite short time period (< 1 year) at 150 °C, although the seal force decreased only slightly compared to the previous measurement. After exceeding the required leakage rate of 10-8 Pa*m3/s it decreased again to acceptable values in the further course of aging. With reference to already published works, BAM has developed a new detailed ABAQUS finite-element (FE) model to represent the behavior of the seal mounted in the mock-up flange during aging, mainly characterized by the creeping of the outer liner. The main goal of the numerical simulation is to reproduce and understand the changing distribution of contact stresses (outer liner/flange) during aging and to discuss if and how it could be causative for the observed early breach of the leak tightness criteria and its later recovery. T2 - PATRAM 2025, 21st International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials CY - San Antonio, Texas, USA DA - 27.07.2025 KW - Finite element analysis KW - Metallic seals KW - Aging KW - Contact area PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - INMM CY - Indianopolis, Indiana, USA AN - OPUS4-63882 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Simbruner, Kai A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Orellana Pérez, Teresa A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Research at BAM for evaluating long term safety of container systems and components N2 - Safety of long term containment and storage of radioactive waste is an essential issue, which is increasingly gaining international attention. Extending interim storage beyond initial license periods is one of the major challenges worldwide. BAM has been involved in all kinds of radioactive waste container safety evaluation for storage and transportation including their long term performance from the very beginning. Today, all work related to the safe management of radioactive waste is linked by the activity field “Nuclear Waste Management” within the Focus Area “Energy” at BAM and in conjunction with a research strategy and agenda. Most recently, the working group “Long Term Safety of Container Systems and Components” was established to launch and perform research projects related to safety issues concerning the extended interim storage of radioactive waste. For example, within our project LaMEP, we investigate ageing effects of metal and elastomer seals as well as polymeric neutron shielding materials, which are container components that fulfil major safety functions. The results of the experiments help to understand the long term behaviour of these components. Likewise, our project BRUZL started at BAM in 2018 with the aim of developing a fracture mechanics approach to understand and describe a potential brittle failure mechanism of fuel cladding during long-term interim storage. BAM also contributes to the GRS project “Development of methods and models and international exchange for safety evaluation in the frame of interim storage of radioactive waste”. Additionally, BAM is involved in several international research programmes dealing with extended interim storage, such as the European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management (EURAD), the Extended Storage Collaboration Program (ESCP) and IAEA Coordinated Research Projects. The present contribution provides a comprehensive overview of BAM research activities contributing to national and international gap analyses and to filling knowledge gaps regarding the safe long term management of radioactive waste. T2 - Annual Meeting on Nuclear Technology 2019 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 07.05.2019 KW - Radioactive Waste KW - Long-term safety PY - 2019 SN - 978-3-926956-95-8 SP - 1 EP - 5 AN - OPUS4-51486 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Investigations on the long-term behavior of metal seals for dual purpose casks N2 - In Germany, spent nuclear fuel and high active waste from reprocessing is stored in transport and storage containers with double lid systems that are equipped with metal seals completing the primary sealing barrier. The tasks of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) within the interim storage licensing procedures ruled by the German Atomic Energy Act include the long-term safety evaluation of the container design regarding the permanently safe enclosure of the inventory. In order to generate a knowledge base for the safety evaluation, research regarding the long-term behavior of the critical components is performed. So far, the containers are licensed for an interim storage period of 40 years. However, due to significant delays in establishing a final repository, the required time span for interim storage is expected to increase significantly. Thus, a widespread investigation program is run to gain systematic data on the long-term behavior of the seals and to develop prediction models. Long-term seal investigations consider the development of their restoring seal force, their useable resilience and their achievable leakage rate caused by aging at temperatures ranging from room temperature up to 150 °C. This year, the total time span of the tests reaches 10 years. Furthermore, seal segments are aged at the selected temperatures for up to 300 days. From these segments additional information on the sealing behavior, changes of the seal contact and the material behavior is gained. This contribution deals with the current results of the long-term seal investigations at BAM. Furthermore, insights of the more in-depth component and material investigations of the metal seals with focus on the seal contact development are discussed and the ongoing work aiming for an analytical description of the thermo-mechanical aging effects on metal seals are presented. T2 - 19th International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials PATRAM 2019 CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 04.08.2019 KW - Metal seal KW - Radioactive waste containers KW - Creep KW - Long-term behaviour PY - 2019 SP - 1 EP - 6 AN - OPUS4-49019 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Weber, Mike A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Schulze, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich T1 - Testing and Numerical Simulation of Elastomers - From Specimen Tests to Simulation of Seal Behavior under Assembly Conditions N2 - Due to delays in the siting procedure to establish a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste as well as in construction of the already licensed Konrad repository for low and intermediate level radioactive waste, extended periods of interim storage become more relevant in Germany. BAM is involved in most of the cask licensing procedures and especially responsible for the evaluation of cask-related long-term safety issues. The long-term performance of elastomer seals for lid systems of transport and storage casks, whether used as auxiliary seals in spent fuel casks or as primary seals for low and intermediate level waste packages, is an important issue in this context. The polymeric structure of these seals causes a complex mechanical behavior with time-dependent sealing force reduction. The results of a comprehensive purpose-designed test program consisting of basic compression and tension tests as well as relaxation tests on unaged specimens of representative types of elastomers (fluorocarbon rubber (FKM) and ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM)) at different temperatures and strain rates are presented. They were used to identify the constitutive behavior and to obtain parameters for finite element material models provided by the computer code ABAQUS®. After estimating the influence of uncertainties such as Poisson’s ratio and friction coefficient by sensitivity analyses, the chosen parameters had to prove their suitability for the finite element simulation of the specimen tests themselves. Based on this preliminary work the simulation of a specific laboratory test configuration containing a typical elastomer seal with circular cross section is presented. The chosen finite element material model and the implemented parameters had to show that they are able to represent not only the specimen behavior under predominantly uniaxial load but also the more complex stress states in real components. Deviations between the measured and calculated results are pointed out and discussed. For the consideration of long-term effects in the simulation of elastomer behavior, test results of aged specimens are needed. First information about a new test program, started recently and planned to provide these data, are given. T2 - ASME 2017 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP2017) CY - Waikoloa, Hawaii, USA DA - 16.07.2017 KW - Time dependent effects KW - Low temperature behavior KW - Elastomeric seals KW - Aging KW - Simulation KW - Testing PY - 2017 SN - 978-0-7918-5802-8 VL - 7 SP - Article UNSP V007T07A035, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-41841 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Weber, Mike A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Schulze, Dietmar T1 - Testing and numerical simulation of elastomeric seals under consideration of time dependent effects N2 - Due to delays in the siting procedure to establish a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel and high level waste and in construction of the already licensed Konrad repository for low and intermediate level waste, extended periods of interim storage will become more relevant in Germany. BAM is involved in most of the cask licensing procedures and is responsible for the evaluation of cask-related long-term safety issues. Elastomeric seals are widely used as barrier seals for containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste. In addition they are also used as auxiliary seals in spent fuel storage and transportation casks (dual purpose casks (DPC)). To address the complex requirements resulting from the described applications, BAM has initiated several test programs for investigating the behavior of elastomeric seals. These include experiments concerning the hyperelastic and viscoelastic behavior at different temperatures and strain rates, the low temperature performance down to -40°C, the influence of gamma irradiation and the aging behavior. The first part of the paper gives an overview of these tests, their relevant results and their possible impact on BAM’s work as a consultant in the framework of approval and licensing procedures. The second part presents an approach of the development of a finite element model using the finite element code ABAQUS®. The long-term goal is to simulate the complex elastomeric behavior in a complete lid closure system under specific operation and accident conditions. T2 - ASME 2016 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP2016) CY - Vancouver, BC, Canada DA - 17.07.2016 KW - Elastomeric seals KW - Testing KW - Low temperature behavior KW - Aging KW - Simulation KW - Time dependent effects PY - 2016 SN - 978-0-7918-5045-9 VL - 7 SP - Paper 63192, 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-37046 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Goral, Milan A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger ED - Krüssenberg, A. T1 - Overview of metal seal tests performed at BAM and implications for extended interim storage N2 - The investigation of the long-term performance of sealing systems employed in containers of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel is one research focus area for division 3.4 \Safety of Storage Containers" at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung. The behaviour of metallic seals, which are employed in interim storage casks for spent nuclear fuel and high active waste, over time is of high importance for ensuring safe enclosure. Therefore, investigations on these systems were started at BAM to get a general understanding of the relevant processes. Our investigations comprise investigations on different parameters which influence the seal Performance and the main part is focussed on the time and temperature dependent behaviour. Our aim is to understand the longterm behaviour of the sealing systems for evaluation of their performance during possible extended interim storage and subsequent transportation. In this contribution an overview of the performed tests and their respective results is given. A focus lies on a comparison between seals with large torus diameter in comparison to small diameters. T2 - Safety of Extended Dry Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel SEDS2020: International online-workshop CY - Online meeting DA - 03.06.2020 KW - Metal seal KW - Seal performance KW - Long-term investigation KW - Ageing PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.3139/124.200071 SN - 0932-3902 VL - 85 IS - 6 SP - 440 EP - 443 PB - Carl Hanser Verlag CY - München AN - OPUS4-51833 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Qiao, Linan A1 - Keller, Christian A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Three-dimensional finite element analysis of O-ring metal seals considering varying material properties and different seal diameters N2 - Metal seals of O-ring form are often used in lid-systems of transport and storage casks for radioactive waste in Germany. To investigate their mechanical behaviour, three dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) models were created using solid elements for all of the seal components. The material behaviour of each component is described with a unified static elastic-plastic material model. The total strain is defined as the sum of linear elastic strain and plastic strain with power-law hardening. The model was carefully validated by comparison of Simulation results with experimental results. The influence of material fluctuation of each seal component due to varying properties and the sensitivity of different seal diameters on the seal force are analysed and discussed. The results show that the material properties of helical spring have major influence on seal force and that the influence of seal diameters is negligible small in the studied range. This is very important to use the test results from seals with small diameter for the assessment of seal behaviour with larger diameter as used in transport and storage cask. KW - Sensitivity analysis KW - Transport and storage cask KW - O-ring metal seal KW - Lid-system KW - Finite element analysis KW - Stochastic variation of material properties PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2019.103953 VL - 176 SP - 102953 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-49263 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Investigation of the time and temperature dependent behavior of metal seals in radioactive waste containers N2 - The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –Prüfung (BAM) runs an investigation program on the long-term behavior of multi-component metal seals. Such seals are used in a wide area of applications including transport and storage casks for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste. The seal function is mainly based on the compression of the inner helical spring, which generates the necessary seal force to keep the sealing surfaces in close contact. This in turn leads to a plastic deformation of the outer jacket of the seal, comprised of highly ductile aluminum or silver that adapts to the sealing surfaces of cask body and bolted lid, thus providing high Level leak tightness. In Germany, those casks are licensed for Interim storage periods of up to 40 years or more if extended Interim storage would become necessary before a final repository is available. Thus, the sealing performance has to be evaluated, including factors like elevated temperature due to decay heat or mechanical loads due to transport under normal as well as accident conditions. Long-term investigations at BAM have been running over the last nine years to identify and evaluate the seal performance by measuring the remaining seal force, the useable resilience and the leakage rate after various time intervals at temperatures ranging from room temperature up to 150 °C. It was found that the seal force and useable resilience decrease with time and temperature, caused by creep deformation of the outer jacket. In order to obtain an analytical description for the seal behavior and to achieve more information on the material behavior under application conditions a comprehensive investigation program with Focus on aluminum as outer jacket material was launched. The program includes material investigations such as compression and tension creep tests with representative basic materials. An additional test setup allows for the continuous measurement of the remaining seal force at temperatures of up to 150 °C. Furthermore, seal segments are compressed and stored in heating chambers, thus producing segments at different stages of the aging process. The segments are investigated regarding the development of the contact area width, jacket thickness and microstructural changes. This data will be used to develop material models and an analytical description of the time and temperature dependent long-term sealing behavior. This paper explains the current status of gained test results and modelling approaches and closes with an outlook to the future Project plans. T2 - ASME 2018 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference CY - Prague, Czech Republic DA - 15.07.2018 KW - Metal seal KW - Creep KW - Long-term behavior PY - 2018 SP - PVP2018-84584, 1 EP - 6 AN - OPUS4-46110 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Liu, Yung A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Jaunich, Matthias T1 - Cooperation in Advanced Technologies Associated with the Back End of Nuclear Fuel Cycle N2 - A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) and the German Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) was signed in October 2014. Its objectives are to promote cooperation among scientists and specialists at Argonne and BAM and establish a framework for collaboration in advanced technologies associated with the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Collaborative activities involving Argonne and BAM may be implemented through the promotion of joint research activities and scientific workshops and conferences; exchange of technical information; and visits by scientists, specialists, and graduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. students. The MOU was renewed in January 2020 for another five years. Highlights of the progress and achievements are provided in identified topical areas for collaboration on ageing management guidance, storage, transportation and disposal R&D, joint conference activities, and conclude with the benefits of the MOU in fostering Argonne and BAM collaboration. T2 - 26th International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology - SMiRT 26 CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 10.07.2022 KW - Nuclear fuel cycle KW - Back end KW - Spent fuel performance KW - Storage KW - Transportation PY - 2022 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-55861 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Nieslony, Gregor A1 - Noack, Volker A1 - Hagenow, Peter A1 - Kovacs, Oliver T1 - Current developments in container design testing for the Konrad repository N2 - The Konrad repository for not heat generating radioactive wastes was licensed first in 2002. But due to legal actions this license has not been finally confirmed before 2007. Subsequently, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) began scheduling backfitting of the former iron ore mine into a repository. The licensed repository volume is 303,000 m3 based on estimations of expected waste volumes to be disposed off although the mine itself would offer a much larger volume. Once the repository is ready for Operation, waste packages can be disposed, but this is not expected before the end of this decade. Nevertheless, there is already today a great interest in qualified and certified waste conditioning and packaging for disposal requiring Containers, tested, evaluated and certified by BAM and BfS. Key points of the Konrad license concern comprehensive requirements for waste products and Containers. Details are described in BfS reports, which constitute the basic documents for the license. Following the final license confirmation a revision of these documents has been requested in order to include considerations of water poisoning substances. This work is currently done by BfS in Cooperation with the NLWKN of Lower Saxony and the Institute for Safety Technology (ISTec). Concerning the specification for Containers themselves no or only minor changes are expected. T2 - KONTEC 2011 - 10. Internationales Symposium "Konditionierung radioaktiver Betriebs- und Stilllegungsabfälle" CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 06.04.2011 KW - Cask KW - Safety KW - Repository KW - Design testing KW - Radioactive waste PY - 2011 SP - 683 EP - 695 AN - OPUS4-23672 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Nieslony, Gregor A1 - Noack, Volker A1 - Hagenow, Peter A1 - Kovacs, Oliver T1 - Current developments in container design testing for the Konrad repository N2 - At present BAM works on numerous applications for Container design testing for the Konrad repository. Some licensing procedures were successfully finished in the past and BfS certified several Container types like Steel sheet, concrete until cast iron containers which are now available for waste packaging for final disposal. However, large quantities of radioactive wastes had been placed into interim storage using containers which are not already approved for the Konrad repository. Safety assessment of these so-called “old” containers is a big challenge for all parties because documentation sheets about container design testing and fabrication often contain gaps or have not yet been completed. Appropriate solution strategies are currently under development and discussion. Furthermore, BAM has successfully initiated and established an Information forum, called “ERFA QM Konrad Containers”, which facilitates discussions on various issues of common interest with respect to Konrad container licensing procedures as well as the interpretation of disposal requirements under consideration of operational needs. Thus, it provides additional, valuable supports for container licensing procedures. T2 - KONTEC 2011 - 10. Internationales Symposium "Konditionierung radioaktiver Betriebs- und Stilllegungsabfälle" CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 06.04.2011 KW - Radioactive waste KW - Container KW - Testing KW - Konrad repository PY - 2012 SN - 1431-5254 VL - 57 IS - 5 SP - 343 EP - 346 PB - Inforum CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-25988 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Barnabas, I. A1 - Ordogh, M. A1 - Shirai, K. A1 - Saegusa, T. A1 - Cho, C.-H. A1 - Kook, D. A1 - Lopez, J. F. A1 - Conde, J. M. A1 - Alejano, C. A1 - Lloret, M. A1 - Quecedo, M. A1 - Shea, J. A1 - Ross, P. J. A1 - White, N. A1 - Rossiter, G. A1 - Hodgson, Z. A1 - Sorenson, K. A1 - McConnell, P. A1 - Hanson, B. ED - Sorenson, K. ED - Shirai, K. ED - Völzke, Holger T1 - Extended storage collaboration program - International subcommittee report - International perspectives on technical data gaps associated with extended storage and transportation of used nuclear fuel N2 - The US Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) chartered a volunteer committee in November 2009 to share information and data related to extended storage and subsequent transportation of used nuclear fuel. This committee is named the Extended Storage Collaboration Program (ESCP) and was initially comprised of representatives from industry (fuel and cask vendors, utilities, the Nuclear Energy Institute, and EPRI), as well as government (e.g., US Department of Energy) and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The primary motivation for establishing this committee was the recognition that used fuel will need to be stored past the regulatory licensing timeframe. In the US, this is mainly a result of the cessation of licensing activities for the planned Yucca Mountain repository. Recognizing that there is a global interest in extended storage and transportation, the International Subcommittee was established in December 2010 to extend the reach of ESCP internationally in order to fully address extended storage and transportation issues, as they apply to different systems, national policies, and regulations around the world. This Subcommittee serves to deepen the overall understanding of degradation mechanisms associated with storage and transportation systems, expand the access to data and programs related to extended storage and transportation, and strengthen the overall technical basis for programmatic decisions. The International Subcommittee established three basic objectives: 1. Conduct a technical data gap survey 2. Assess opportunities to leverage specific research to benefit the larger international group 3. Integrate our work with relevant International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) committee work This report constitutes completion of Objective #1. The International Subcommittee worked to identify and prioritize technical gaps that need to be addressed to support licensing activities within their own countries. Because there are varying types of storage and transportation system designs, national policies and regulations, there are identified commonalities as well as differences that stress the importance of this work on an international scale. Section 5 of this report identifies and prioritizes all of the identified data gaps for each participating organization. However, important data gaps were identified that had a consensus of opinion of being a high priority. These technical gaps, as a function of storage system component are: 1. Fuel – hydride effects on fuel cladding and retrievability of fuel after storage 2. Canister – general canister corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of canister closure welds, particularly in marine environments 3. Closure – degradation of bolts and seals (metallic and organic) 4. Overpack – concrete degradation Dry storage systems were originally designed for limited periods. With extended dry storage, it is generally believed that used fuel can be stored safely and securely past the regulatory time period. However, the technical arguments need to be made to justify extended licensing periods. Addressing the data gaps will provide the necessary arguments to justify license extensions. In the development of this report, the International Subcommittee met five times over a period of 18 months to work through the issues of identifying and prioritizing the data gaps, and discussing of technical issues as they pertain to the safety of used fuel storage and transportation. The meeting locations and dates were: 1. Vienna June 2010 2. London October 2010 3. Charlotte December 2010 4. Berlin June 2011 5. Charlotte December 2011 This report is not meant to be a technical document. Rather, it is an overview of country regulatory policy, a review of in-country operational status and used fuel inventory, followed by a role-up of identification and prioritization of technical data gaps. Technical documents that were used in the data gap assessments are referenced. It is important to note that this document represents only the opinions of the contributors. This document in no way represents any official country position. The organizations providing support to the writing of this report are: Germany: - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung Hungary: - Radioaktiv Julladekokat Kezelo Kozhasznu - Som System Kft. Japan: - Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry South Korea: - Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute - Korea Radioactive Waste Management Corporation Spain: - Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear - ENRESA Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos - ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas United Kingdom: - EDF Energy - National Nuclear Laboratory Ltd. United States: - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - Sandia National Laboratories KW - Used/spent fuel dry storage KW - Used/spent fuel transportation KW - Extended used/spent nuclear fuel storage KW - High burnup spent fuel storage and transportation KW - Spent fuel storage and transportation KW - Extended Storage Collaboration Program (ESCP) KW - ESCP International Subcommittee PY - 2012 UR - https://www.epri.com/research/products/1026481 N1 - This final report was prepared as part of the volunteer Extended Storage Collaboration Program (ESCP). VL - 1026481 SP - 1 EP - 132 PB - Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) CY - Palo Alto, CA, USA AN - OPUS4-27405 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -