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- Radioactive material (14)
- Impact limiter (13)
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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.
In accordance with the IAEA transport regulations Special Form Radioactive Material (SFRM) is either an indispersible solid radioactive material or a sealed capsule containing radioactive material.
The design of special form radioactive material has to resist a severe transport accident without undue loss or dispersal of radioactive material. The safety assessment for design approval shall include besides the required test program (impact, percussion, bending and heat test) also the evaluation of the management system for design, manufacture, testing, documentation, use, maintenance and inspection. The specified quality assurance measures have to assure, that every specimen of the approved design is produced in the same verified quality and every specimen must be able to survive the severe mechanical and thermal tests at any time of its working life.
Due to the long-term use of SFRM the consideration of ageing is an important aspect in the approval procedure by BAM, the competent authority for SFRM approval in Germany. Different fields of application imply a wide range of environmental conditions, from clean room atmosphere to highly aggressive industrial conditions. So, besides of radioactive content, corrosion is a main factor for possible design degradation.
This paper will describe major influencing factors to be taken into account to assess the ageing behavior of a SFRM design and will emphasize that there is a need for a regulatory specification of a SFRM-working life as basis for the aging evaluations.
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.
Load attachment points, consisting of the lifting component and corresponding bolt connections, and lid systems, consisting of a lid, gaskets and bolt connections, are usually analyzed numerically using the Finite Element Method. Reasons for applying the FEM are complex geometry, specific load distribution and the violation of application criteria for analytical approaches. For example the elementary beam theory is not suitable for the calculation of compact trunnions and the Kirchhoff plate theory is not suitable for the calculation of lids with a large thickness to diameter ratio because the Bernoulli-hypothesis is violated. In addition for structural integrity assessments often local stress and for the evaluation of lid systems tightness local contact opening are needed, which can be obtained only through accurately discretized numerical models.
Independent comparative calculations are essential for complex calculations. Simplified but appropriate analytical approaches are an efficient way of examination. Is it possible to provide conservative analytical estimates of such kind of analysis problems? Are analytical calculations an appropriate approach in today's authority assessment business? Using the example of bolted trunnion and lid systems of a heavy package the possibilities and limits of analytical comparative calculations are shown.
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.
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.
BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing is the competent authority for mechanical safety assessment of transport packages for radioactive material in Germany. The further development of state-of-the-art technology concerning assessment methods is essential for a qualified work of involved designers and authority experts. The paper gives an example of current development done to improve understanding and modeling capabilities of wood filled impact limiter. In order to reduce the loads applied to the package containment, which result from regulatory drop tests, most packages are protected by energy dissipating impact limiter. Wood, encapsulated by steel sheets, is one of the materials typically used for energy dissipation in these impact limiter. Very often, mechanical safety cases regarding the 9 m drop test are performed computationally, where it is essential to use reliable and verified computational methods and models. In this context, the paper presents an approach for a finite element material model for wood. Thereby, the mechanical behavior of wood under compression loading is the focus of the development work. Additionally, material orientation as well as strain rate, temperature and lateral constraint may vary. A large number of experiments, particularly compression tests, was designed and performed to establish an adequate experimental database for modeling verification. The experimental results enabled the derivation of necessary requirements: The material model has to take into account strain rate and temperature dependencies as well as the anisotropic characteristics of the material, a proper yield criterion, flow rule and hardening law. Such a material model is currently not available in established commercial dynamic finite element codes. Thus it is necessary to create a user-defined material model considering the mentioned requirements. A first step was done by determining a yield surface as well as detecting flow and hardening mechanisms from experimental force-deflection curves. In a next step the LS-DYNA material model MAT_75 was altered according to conclusions of former BAM development work, regarding the modeling of post-peak softening as a function of lateral constraint. Future research will contain the further development, implementation and verification of a material model for wood.
The most relevant source of reference for load cases of packages for the transport of radioactive material under routine conditions is Appendix IV of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Advisory Material TS-G-1·1. The acceleration values given there leave many questions open and have to be agreed upon with the involved competent authorities. Consequently, the actual load cases applied for a safety analysis may differ widely and could cause problems for international transport. To avoid such difficulties, it seems obvious that the according passages in TS-G-1·1 should be modified with the objective of making the load case data more consistent for a harmonized application in the IAEA member states. Papers pointing out in this direction were discussed at the PATRAM 2010 conference. The way to improve the acceleration data may lie in investigations and measurements considering, for example different types of vehicles and package masses. However, what should be the goal of such kind of surveys? Can such investigation provide values for every worldwide load case possible under routine conditions of transport? In particular, the different designs of vehicles give a reason to doubt that such an aim is realistic. The approach in this paper is to show that a less ambitious aim is more effective. Therefore, an approximate scheme is preferred, which renders better assistance in determining the appropriate acceleration values.
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.