Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
- 2018 (5) (entfernen)
Dokumenttyp
Sprache
- Englisch (5)
Schlagworte
- Analysis (2)
- Drop (2)
- Measurement (2)
- Test (2)
- Fire (1)
- Fire test (1)
- IAEA (1)
- Impact limiter (1)
- Kinematic (1)
- Lowlevel and midlevel radioactive waste (1)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
BAM is the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing and the competent authority for mechanical and thermal safety assessment of transport packages for spent fuel and high level waste. In context with safety assessment of RAM packages BAM performed numerous drop tests in the last decades. The tests were mostly accompanied by extensive and various measurement techniques especially by instrumented measurements with strain gages and accelerometers.
The procedure of drop testing and the resulting measurement analysis are the main methods to evaluate the safety against mechanical test conditions. Measurement techniques are dedicated to answer questions in regard to the structural integrity of a RAM package, the mechanical behavior of the prototype as well as of its content under impact conditions.
Test results like deceleration-time functions constitute a main basis for the validation of assumptions in the safety analysis and for the evaluation of numerical calculations. In this context the adequate selection of accelerometers and measurement systems for the performance of drop tests is important. Therefore it is not only necessary to find suitable positions for the accelerometers at the test specimens, but also to consider technical boundary conditions as e.g. temperature.
BAM is the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing and the competent authority for mechanical and thermal safety assessment of transport packages for spent fuel and high level waste. In context with safety assessment of RAM packages BAM performed numerous drop tests in the last decades. The tests were mostly accompanied by extensive and various measurement techniques especially by instrumented measurements with strain gages and accelerometers.
The procedure of drop testing and the resulting measurement analysis are the main methods to evaluate the safety against mechanical test conditions. Measurement techniques are dedicated to answer questions in regard to the structural integrity of a RAM package, the mechanical behavior of the prototype as well as of its content under impact conditions.
Test results like deceleration-time functions constitute a main basis for the validation of assumptions in the safety analysis and for the evaluation of numerical calculations. In this context the adequate selection of accelerometers and measurement systems for the performance of drop tests is important. Therefore it is not only necessary to find suitable positions for the accelerometers at the test specimens, but also to consider technical boundary conditions as e.g. temperature.
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
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.
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.