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Packages for the transport of radioactive material are generally equipped with specific
structures (basket) to support the radioactive content in defined position. The safety function
of the basket depends on the kind of transported inventory. In case of transport cask for spent
fuel, the basket design has to ensure the subcriticality of the fissile material in all conditions
of transport in particular. Therefore the evaluation of structural integrity and neutron
absorption capability of the basket is an important part of complete safety analysis. Sufficient
heat transfer to maintain fuel assembly and cask temperature within allowable limits has to be
verified as well. Corrosion resistance is an additional requirement on basket materials owing
to contact with water during loading and unloading operations.
Computational and experimental methods or their combination along with additional material
and component tests can be used to analyse the mechanical and thermal basket behaviour
under transport conditions defined in IAEA regulations. By deciding between the analysis
methods, the design features (including material selection concept) as well as specific safety
function should be accounted.
In approval procedures of transport packages for radioactive materials, the competent
authority mechanical and thermal safety assessment is carried out in Germany by BAM. Some
questions of safety evaluation of basket designs are discussed in this paper based on the BAM
experience within approval procedures. The paper focuses primarily on the mechanical
behaviour of baskets with regard to the assumptions that have to be used in the criticality
safety demonstration. The state of the art methodologies for computational basket stress and
deformation analysis as well as for interpretation of drop tests results are presented.
Mechanical Design Assessment Approaches of Actual Spent Fuel and HLW Transport Package Designs
(2010)
Transport casks for radioactive materials have to withstand the 9 m drop test, 1 m puncture drop test and dynamic crush test with regard to the mechanical requirements according to the IAEA regulations. The safety assessment of the package can be carried out on the basis of experimental investigations with prototypes or models of appropriate scale, calculations, by reference to previous satisfactory safety demonstrations of a sufficiently similar nature or a combination of these methods. Computational methods are increasingly used for the assessment of mechanical test scenarios. However, it must be guaranteed that the calculation methods provide reliable results. Important quality assurance measures at BAM are given concerning the preparation, run and evaluation of a numerical analysis with reference to the appropriate guidelines.
Hence, a successful application of the finite element method requires a suitable mesh. An analysis of the 1 m puncture drop test using successively refined finite element meshes was performed to find an acceptable mesh size and to study the mesh convergence using explicit dynamic finite element codes. The finite element model of the cask structure and the puncture bar is described. At the beginning a coarse mesh was created. Then this mesh was refined in two steps. In each step the size of the elements was bisected. The deformation of the mesh and the stresses were evaluated dependent on the mesh size. Finally, the results were extrapolated to an infinite fine mesh or the continuous body, respectively. The uncertainty of the numerical solution due to the discretization of the continuous problem is given. A safety factor is discussed to account for the uncertainty. The calculation results are compared with experimental data from a puncture drop test with a half-scale model of a cylindrical cask.
This paper supports the convergence studies of the Task Group on Computational Modeling for Explicit Dynamics reporting to the ASME BPV Code Working Group on Design Methodology.