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Organisationseinheit der BAM
Eingeladener Vortrag
- nein (88)
Within the last years BAM has carried out numerous drop tests with prototype casks made of ductile cast iron onto targets according to the requirements for final disposal of non-heat generating waste in the German KONRAD repository. The results have shown that the target specifications in the acceptance criteria have to be defined more accurately to get reproducible test results with high precision. Hence, a suitable test stand foundation was developed with much effort. The integrity of the upper concrete layer of this target must be preserved during a test.
Recently the geometrical properties of a tested cubic cast iron container led to a concentration of the impact forces beneath the container walls. The target was damaged strongly with the consequence of inadmissible reduction of cask stresses. For that reason the target construction was modified. However, the basic design was not changed. A prefabricated concrete slab was still joined by a mortar layer to the IAEA target of the BAM drop test facility. In the course of the optimization of the test stand foundation the concrete slab dimensions and the reinforcement were enlarged. During the drop test repetition the target kept intact. Additionally, the mechanical behavior of the cast iron container and the target was analyzed by finite element calculations.
This improved target construction is suggested as a reference target for drop tests with casks whose mass and base area are covered by the container types VI or VII respectively according to the KONRAD repository acceptance criteria.
The measurements during the drop tests with cast iron casks have provided the strains on the cask surface at selected positions. This allows the verification of finite element simulations of drop tests which show the stress distribution also inside the component. In September 2008 a drop test was carried out with a cylindrical cast iron cask containing an artificial material defect which was designed under consideration of critical stress states in the cask body. This drop test could demonstrate the safety against failure by fracture of a cask made of a special cast iron with reduced fracture toughness.
Die sicherheitstechnische Auslegung von Behältern aus duktilem Gusseisen mit erhöhten Reststoffanteilen wird untersucht. Ausgehend von den zu gewährleistenden Anforderungen an Transport- und Lagerbehälter für radioaktive Abfälle werden Referenzbeanspruchungs- situationen definiert. Für einen ausgewählten Referenzfall (bestehend aus der Kombination der Behälterbauart Gusscontainer Typ VI, einem Absturz aus 5 m Höhe auf ein hartes Endlagergestein simulierendes Betonfundament als repräsentativer Störfall und vorgegebenen Werkstoffeigenschaften) wird eine numerische Spannungsanalyse durchgeführt. Die Berechnungen erfolgen mit der Methode der finiten Elemente an dreidimensionalen Modellen, deren numerische Stabilität und Genauigkeit überprüft wird. Zur Berechnung der Behälterbeanspruchungen in Abhängigkeit vom Reststoffanteil werden dynamische Fließkurven für definiert legierte Testabgüsse angegeben.
Es werden Methoden zur sicherheitstechnischen Bewertung des mechanischen Verhaltens von Brennstabhüllrohren entwickelt, um sprödes Versagen in Belastungsszenarien nach längerfristiger trockener Zwischenlagerung zu verhindern. Unbestrahlte Brennstabhüllrohrsegmente aus der Zirkoniumlegierung ZIRLO® wurden hydriert und thermomechanischen Behandlungen unterzogen, um Hüllrohrmaterial durch Ausscheidung radialer Hydride zu verspröden. Die Proben mit radialen Hydriden wurden im Ring Compression Test (RCT) bei Raumtemperatur untersucht. Bereits bei kleinen Probenverformungen wurden abrupte Kraftabfälle mit instabiler Rissausbreitung durch das Netzwerk radialer Hydride beobachtet. Die Risslängen erreichten in einigen Fällen bis zu 90 % der Wanddicke. Der mikromechanische Versagensmechanismus ist Quasi-Spaltbruch in den Hydriden und Porenbildung, -wachstum und -vereinigung in der Zirkoniummatrix an den duktilen Brücken zwischen benachbarten Hydriden. Es wurde ein Finite-Elemente-Modell des Ring Compression Tests erstellt, um das Versagensverhalten zirkoniumbasierter Legierungen mit radialen Hydriden im RCT zu analysieren. Die Fließkurve für das elastisch-plastische Materialmodell des Matrixmaterials wurde durch eine inverse Finite-Elemente-Analyse ermittelt. Kohäsivzonenmodelle wurden benutzt, um die plötzlichen Kraftabfälle zu reproduzieren. Es wurde ein mikromechanisches Modell mit statistisch generierten Matrix-Hydrid-Verteilungen entwickelt, das zwischen sprödem Versagen entlang der Hydride und duktilem Versagen der Zirkoniummatrix in der Kohäsivzone unterscheidet. Für das jeweilige Materialverhalten wird ein lokales zweiparametriges Versagenskriterium auf Grundlage der Kohäsionsfestigkeit und der Separationsenergie bei einer festgelegten Form des Kohäsivgesetzes vorgeschlagen. Geeignete Kohäsivparameter lassen sich mit einer inversen Finite-Elemente-Analyse des Versagensverhaltens von hydrierten Proben im Ring Compression Test bestimmen. In den Simulationen lag der Schwerpunkt auf dem ersten Kraftabfall. Die Berechnungsergebnisse stimmen gut mit den RCT-Ergebnissen überein. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Rissinitiierung und -ausbreitung stark von der speziellen Anordnung der radialen Hydride und Matrixbrücken in der Bruchzone abhängt. Die numerische Modellbildung wurde an Versuchen mit bestrahlten Proben aus der Zirkoniumlegierung M5® validiert.
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.
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.
The safety assessment of casks for radioactive material at interim storage facilities or in final repositories includes the investigation of possible handling accidents if clearly defined test conditions are not available from the regulations. Specific handling accidents usually are the drop of a cask onto the transport vehicle or the floor as well as the collision with the wall of the storage building or another cask. For such load cases an experimental demonstration of cask safety would be difficult. Therefore, numerical analyses of the entire load scenario are preferred. The lessons learnt from dynamic finite element analyses of accident scenarios with thick-walled cubical containers or cylindrical casks are presented. The dependency of calculation results on initial and boundary conditions, material models, and contact conditions is discussed. Parameter sets used should be verified by numerical simulation of experimentally investigated similar test scenarios. On the other hand, decisions have to be made whether a parameter or property is modeled in a realistic or conservative manner. For example, a very small variation of the initial impact angle of a container can cause significantly different stresses and strains. In sophisticated cases an investigation of simpler limit load scenarios could be advantageous instead of analyzing a very complicated load scenario.
Metal gaskets in the lid system of transport and storage casks for radioactive material have to guarantee leak-tightness and safe enclosure of the radioactive inventory under normal and accident conditions during transport, in case of accidents and for the longterm interim storage. For safety assessments by nurnerical simulation of the thermomechanical behaviour of a lid system with metal gaskets, the finite element method offers three options to use: i) special gasket elements, ii) complex three-dimensional modeHing with solid elements, and iii) a simplified axisymmetric approach. Gasket elements can be adjusted by many parameters, but they give only a global representation of the experimentally observed gasket behaviour. For calculations of the entire cask including the lid system with gaskets, nonetheless this approach is recommended. To investigate the hardly measurable impact behaviour in detail or to extrapolate the long-term behaviour, a local modeHing of all parts of a gasket and their interactions with effects like elastic-plastic deformation, creep, relaxation, and friction is necessary. The three-dimensional model can describe the change of contact area between outer jacket of the gasket and flange dependent on the load conditions, what overcomes an essential limitation of special gasket elements. To simplify the problern of investigating the underlying physical effects, an axisymmetric lid system can be modelled with axisymmetric finite elements. Usually an approximation is only necessary for the helical spring of a metal gasket. This paper explains basic ideas for an adequate finite element simulation of cask lid systems with metal gaskets and their thermo-mechanical behaviour under specific load scenarios.
Influence of impact angle and real target properties on drop test results of cubic containers
(2017)
Drop test scenarios with cubic containers without impact limiters at interim storage sites or in a final repository have been investigated by numerical simulations. An ideally flat drop is impossible to conduct as a free fall of a container even under laboratory conditions. Dynamic stresses and strains inside the container structure are sensitive to the impact angle. Even very small impact angles cause remarkable changes in the experimental or numerical results when a flat bottom or wall of a container hits a flat target. For drop tests with transport packages the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations define an essentially unyielding target. In contrast, potential accident scenarios for storage containers are derived from site-specific safety analyses or acceptance criteria in Germany. Each interim storage site or repository has a yielding or so-called real target with individual structural and material properties. The real target acts as a kind of impact limiter. A more conservative container design is required if the impact limiting effect of the target is not considered.
Cylindrical casks made of ductile cast iron are used for transport, interim storage and final disposal of radioactive waste in Germany. A basic design criterion is the ability to withstand a horizontal drop without impact Binders onto a foundation representative for the real ground of a storage facility. The increasing use of more cost-effective material compositions requires optimized cask geometries to reduce stresses and strains in the cask structure. For example, a non-uniform wall thickness was introduced to reduce maximum wall bending stresses. As a result, the load characteristics changed from line load to point load at bottom and lid side under horizontal drop fest conditions. Hereby, the position of highest stress inside the structure has shifted significantly. This was the reason for a systematic investigation of effects caused by small design changes or small variations of fest conditions. It led to a better understanding of the positions of high local stresses, their time history and maximum value for cylindrical casks under horizontal drop test conditions. Hence, the paper presents the lessons learnt from modeling and simulating such scenarios considering an impact without limiters onto a realistic target.
BAM is the responsible authority in Germany for the assessment of the mechanical and thermal design safety of packages for the transport of radioactive materials. The assessment has to cover the proof of brittle fracture safety for package components made of potentially brittle materials. This paper gives a survey of the regulatory and technical requirements for such an assessment according to BAM's new 'Guidelines for the application of ductile cast iron for transport and storage casks for radioactive materials'. Based on these guidelines, higher stresses than before will be permissible, but it is necessary to put more effort into the safety assessment procedure. The fundamentals of such a proof using the methods of fracture mechanics are presented. The recommended procedure takes into account the guidelines of the IAEA's advisory material which are based on the prevention of crack initiation. Examples of BAM's research and safety assessment practices are given. Recommendations for further developments towards package designs with higher acceptable stress levels will conclude the paper.
The prevention of brittle fracture of spent fuel claddings during long-term dry interim storage is based on experimental investigations, numerical analyses and assessment methods for predicting the mechanical behavior and determining limiting conditions. The ring compression test (RCT) is an established experimental method for characterizing cladding material. Test results for various high-burnup pressure water reactor zirconium-based fuel cladding alloys (e.g., ZIRLO®, M5®) are publicly available. To reduce the effort associated with irradiated samples in hot cells, it is helpful to perform studies on unirradiated surrogate cladding material. Based on such experimental data, load-displacement curves were numerically analyzed for selected cladding materials. In the presence of radial hydrides, a sample may suddenly fail by fracture even at small deformations. Noticeable load drops in the RCT occur associated to unstable crack propagation through the radial hydride network. The failure mechanism is quasi-cleavage in the hydrides and micro-void nucleation, growth, and coalescence in the zirconium matrix, with ductile tearing patches connecting neighboring hydrides. The failure process was simulated by cohesive zones controlled by the fracture energy and the cohesive strength. A modeling approach is presented in which the radial hydride morphology is taken into account. Based on the developed fracture mechanics approach with cohesive zone modeling, not only the deformation behavior but also the failure behavior of irradiated as well as unirradiated claddings with radial hydrides under RCT loading conditions can be adequately described.
Existing spent nuclear fuel (SF) and high active waste (HAW) management policies and practices worldwide are the result of past presumptions that sufficient reprocessing and/or disposal capacity would be available in the near term. Consequently, in the past many countries have developed specific solutions for different periods of time due to their individual national nuclear policies.
In Germany the concept of dry interim storage in dual purpose metal casks before disposal is being pursued for SF and HAW management and transport and storage licenses have been issued accordingly. The current operation licenses for existing storage facilities have been granted for a storage period of up to 40 years. This concept has demonstrated its suitability for over 20 years so far. Relevant safety requirements haven been assessed for the short-term as well as for the long-term for site-specific operational and accidental storage conditions. But in the meantime significant delays in the national repository siting procedure occured which will make extended storage periods necessary in the future.
This paper describes the current situation in Germany with regard to dry cask storage and focuses on current perspectives considering regulatory, technical, and scientific aspects for storage license renewal. Since there is one case of a storage license limitation to only 20 years due to administrative reasons, first experience is currently gathered in case of an expiring storage license. Subsequent license options have been pursued intensively including the extension of the initial storage license as well as shipping all casks to another storage facility considering an extended storage period at that storage facility as well. All safety relevant aspects have to be reviewed on basis of the current state-of-the-art which might be different from the initial safety demonstrations. That includes new safety assessment standards as well as improved knowledge base. Major issues are e.g. improved accident scenario analyses, assessment methods, and consideration of aging effects from previous operation periods. Inspection programs with respect, e.g. to bolts and seals to verify leak-tightness and lid screw pre-stress have been initiated to demonstrate proper cask conditions for extended storage as well as transportation to another storage facility.
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.
German approach and feedback on experience of transportability of SNF packages after interim storage
(2014)
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 package design in accordance with the international transport regulations. The license for dry storage is granted on the German Atomic Energy Act with respect to the recently revised 'Guidelines for dry interim storage of irradiated fuel assemblies and heat-generating radioactive waste in casks' by the German Waste management Commission. For transport on public routes between or after long term interim storage periods, it has to be ensured that the transport and storage casks fulfil the specifications of the transport approval or other sufficient properties, which satisfy the proofs for the compliance of the safety objectives at that time. In recent years, the validation period of transport approval certificates for manufactured, loaded and stored packages were discussed among authorities and applicants. A case dependent system of 3, 5 and 10 years was established. There are consequences for the safety cases in the Package Design Safety Report, including evaluation of long term behaviour of components and specific operating procedures of the package. The present research and knowledge concerning the long term behaviour of transport and storage cask components have to be consulted as well as experiences from interim cask storage operations. Challenges in the safety assessment are e.g. the behaviour of aged metal and elastomeric gaskets under IAEA test conditions to ensure that the results of drop tests can be transferred to the compliance of the safety objectives at the time of transport after the interim storage period. Assessment methods for the material compatibility, the behaviour of fuel assemblies and the aging behaviour of shielding parts are issues as well. This paper describes the state of the art technology in Germany, explains recent experience on transport preparation after interim storage and points out arising prospective challenges.
German approach and experience feedback of transport ability of SNF packages after interim storage
(2013)
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 package design in accordance with the international transport regulations. The license for dry storage is granted on the German Atomic Energy Act with respect to the recently revised “Guidelines for dry interim storage of irradiated fuel assemblies and heat-generating radioactive waste in casks” by the German Waste management Commission (ESK).
For transport on public routes between or after long term interim storage periods, it has to be ensured that the transport and storage casks fulfil the specifications of the transport approval or other sufficient properties which satisfy the proofs for the compliance of the safety objectives at that time.
In recent years the validation period of transport approval certificates for manufactured, loaded and stored packages were discussed among authorities and applicants. A case dependant system of 3, 5 and 10 years was established. There are consequences for the safety cases in the Package Design Safety Report including evaluation of long term behavior of components and specific operating procedures of the package.
Present research and knowledge concerning the long term behavior of transport and storage cask components have to be consulted as well as experiences from interim cask storage operations. Challenges in the safety assessment are e.g. the behavior of aged metal and elastomeric gaskets under IAEA test conditions to ensure that the results of drop tests can be transferred to the compliance of the safety objectives at the time of transport after the interim storage period.