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Eingeladener Vortrag
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A device has been designed, built and tested that allows the investigation of effects of dynamic loads on the leak tightness of elastomer seals at low temperatures. With the test setup, the compression of the tested seal can be reduced by a defined degree in a time period of less than 1 s. For the evaluation of the leak tightness, leakage rates can be determined.
It was shown that the rapid partial release of an elastomer seal leads to its failure already at the beginning of the rubber–glass transition and, therefore, at significantly higher temperatures than the loss of leak tightness observed under static conditions.
For many sealing applications rubbers are applied due to their special material properties and easy use. In many applications, e.g. in aviation, traffic or process technology the material can be exposed to low temperatures during Operation. Therefore it is important to know the material behaviour at those low temperatures to determine the temperature range that allows a safe Operation of the seal. As rubbers are used as main sealing materials for Containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and as additional component to metal seals in spent fuel and high active waste Containers, a comprehensive elastomer investigation program is run at BAM. This program comprises investigations of elastomer overall performance, durability, influence of gamma irradiation and low temperature behaviour.
In this paper we focus on the behaviour of elastomer seals at low temperatures with regard to potential decrease of leak-tightness as material properties of rubbers are strongly temperature dependent. But additionally to the investigation presented in the past which considered the material properties of new materials and the seal behaviour under purely static conditions [1, 2] we now focus on irradiated materials and on the sealing performance after a fast partial release of the compressed seal.
For the investigations different materials were used, e.g. fluorocarbon (FKM) and ethylenepropylene-diene (EPDM) rubber. To determine the effect of gamma irradiation some samples were irradiated and studied by several thermo-analytical methods and compression set. For the investigation of the seal performance under non static conditions we decided to design a new measurement setup which allows for a small flange deflection and simultaneous leakage rate measurement at low temperatures.
According to the relevant guidelines and regulations, the safe enclosure of radioactive Container contents has to be guaranteed for long storage periods as well as down to temperatures of -40 °C during transportation. As rubbers are widely used as the main sealing materials for Containers for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste and as additional component to metal seals in spent fuel and high active waste Containers, a comprehensive eiastomer investigation Programme is in place at BAM. This Programme comprises investigations of overall eiastomer performance, durability, influence of gamma irradiation and low temperature behaviour.
In this paper we focus on the behaviour of eiastomer seals at low temperatures with regard to the potential increase in leakage as material properties of rubbers are strongly temperature-dependent. During continuous cooling, the material behaviour of elastomers changes in the rubber-glass transition temperature ränge from rubberlike entropy-elasticity to stiff energy-elasticity, allowing for almost no strain or retraction. Hence rubbers are normally used above their rubber-glass transition but the minimum limit at which they work has not been defined precisely. For the investigations, fluorocarbon (FKM) and ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) rubbers were selected, as they are often used in radioactive waste Containers. The elastomers were studied using several thermoanalytical methods and compression set. The results were compared with component tests to determine the temperature at which the sealing function of O-rings made of eiastomer breaks down. In addition to these results, under static conditions we designed a new measurement set-up which allows for a small deflection of the flange and simultaneous leakage rate measurement at low temperatures.
For many sealing applications rubbers are applied due to their special material properties and easy use. In many applications as e.g. in aviation, traffic or process technology the material can be exposed to low temperatures during operation. Therefore it is important to know the material behaviour at those low temperatures to determine the temperature range that allows a safe operation of the seal. As rubbers are used as main sealing materials for containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and as additional component to metal seals in spent fuel and high acitve waste containers, a comprehensive elastomer investigation program is run at BAM. This program comprises investigations of elastomer overall performance, durability, influence of gamma irradiation and low temperature behaviour.
In this paper we focus on the behaviour of elastomer seals below ambient temperatures after a fast partial release. Despite the primarily static application conditions of many seals their behaviour after partial compression release is of interest with regard to potential decrease of leak-tightness.
For this investigation a special setup was designed which allows the partial release of compressed seal systems at different temperatures accompanied by leakage rate measurements.
The results for FKM seals are presented and discussed.
Elastomer seals are widely used as barrier seals in containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and for spent fuel transportation casks. In addition, they are also used for spent fuel storage and transportation casks (dual purpose casks (DPC)) as auxiliary seals to allow leakage rate measurements of metal barrier seals for demonstration of their proper assembling conditions. 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. Concerning DPC, degradation effects should be limited in a way that, for example, effects from potentially released decomposition elements may not harm e.g. metal barrier seals. Leakage rate measurements should be possible also after long interim storage periods prior to subsequent transportation.
Because of the complex requirements resulting from the various applications of containers for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, BAM has initiated several test programmes for investigating the behaviour of elastomer seals. In this contribution the current status is described and first results are discussed.
In many fields the function of seal materials is required at low temperatures. Therefore the understanding of failure mechanisms at low temperatures is of high importance. In some applications elastomeric seals are used in environments with increased irradiation backgrounds, as e.g. in containers for radioactive waste. This paper reports on the influence of gamma irradiation on the low temperature properties of different fluorocarbon rubber (FKM) materials.
The samples were irradiated with gamma doses of up to 600 kGy and the induced changes of material properties were tested by methods sensitive to the rubber-glass transition, like DSC and DMA. Additionally, compression set measurements were performed to give information about recovery behaviour at low temperatures.