3.4 Sicherheit von Lagerbehältern
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For many sealing applications rubber O-rings are applied due to their special properties and easy use. In many applications as e.g. in aviation, traffic or process technology the material can be exposed to a variety of conditions during operation as e.g. low temperatures, elevated temperatures and different media. Therefore, it is important to know the material behaviour and the seal performance under those conditions. Additionally ageing of seals is an important factor which has an influence on the long term reliability.
In this contribution we would like to discuss different aspects affecting the seal performance, lifetime estimation and address open questions which should be addressed to come to a deeper understanding of these seals commonly understood as typical machine elements.
Results of running investigations at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Division 3.4 “Safety of Storage Containers” are presented and discussed.
Compared with the original time-temperature superposition (TTS) principle, an extended non-linear time-temperature equivalent (TTE) principle is suggested in this work. Results shown us, all application of TTS and most of the TTE parameters, for example, the Orr-Sherby-Dorn, Manson-Succop, Larson-Müller, Manson-Haferd, Mendelson-Roberts-Manson parameters and the more general ‘single metamodel’ from Haque–Stewart are special cases of the new suggested principle. The merits of this new method are discussed.
In this presentation, the history and actual situation of the German nuclear waste management policy of spent fuel (SF) and high-level waste (HLW) is reported. Beside the description of the restructuration of responsible authorities and organizations in Germany, the principle of dry interim storage of SF and HLW in dual purpose casks is explained. The need for extended interim storage towards disposal implicates additional challenges for the nuclear waste management strategy in Germany. (Extended)interim storage, subsequent transportation, and final disposal are closely linked. Integrated approaches concerning waste package designs and operations are supposed to be beneficial for the establishment of efficient long-term SF and HLW management strategies. Knowledge management and staff recruiting, education and training during phase out and beyond nuclear power plant operation are major issues.
At BAM, which is a federal institute for materials research and testing in Germany, it is one of our tasks to evaluate the safety of casks designed for transport and/or storage of radioactive material. This includes assessment of elastomeric seals applied in the casks. One of the aims is to identify a suitable method for estimating the service lifetime of the seals with regard to the requirements for long-term safety (40 years and more) of the containers. Therefore, we started an accelerated ageing programme with selected rubbers often used for seals (HNBR, EPDM and FKM) which are aged at four different temperatures (75 °C, 100 °C, 125 °C and 150 °C) for up to five years. In order to assess sealability, O-rings were aged in compression by 25 % (corresponding to the compression during service) between plates as well as in flanges that allow leakage rate measurements. For comparison, uncompressed O-rings were aged as well. In order to understand the underlying ageing mechanisms in each material, material properties such as hardness, density and tensile properties were examined. Additionally, compression set (CS), which represents the recovery behaviour of a seal after release from compression, is measured. For obtaining results closely related to practical conditions, O-rings with a full-scale cord diameter of 10 mm were aged. However, this set-up can lead to heterogeneous ageing caused by diffusion-limited oxidation (DLO) effects especially for HNBR, resulting in distorted bulk properties such as compression set. However, if DLO-affected data is excluded, extrapolations of CS data are possible using time-temperature shifts.
For selecting an appropriate end-of-lifetime criterion, leakage rate measurements were performed, since leakage rate is the only characteristic directly correlated to the performance of the sealing system. A significant increase in leakage rate was considered as the end of the lifetime. However, the O-rings remained leak tight under static conditions even though material properties had already degraded strongly. For this reason, a modified, more demanding leakage test involving a fast small decompression of the seal was developed that allowed determining a more conservative end-of-lifetime criterion with a safety margin for EPDM seals. FKM, which is a very heat and oxidation resistant material, exhibited only little degradation, even though it had the smallest activation energy.
In order to demonstrate the safety of both spent fuel and the storage system, a good understanding of the processes that might cause deterioration is required. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continued the coordinated research on Spent Fuel Performance Assessment and Research (SPAR) into a fourth phase starting in 2015 to evaluate fuel and materials performance under wet and dry storage and to assess the impact of interim storage on associated spent fuel management activities (such as handling and transport). BAM’s understanding and experiences in the field of long-term storage of spent fuel and especially spent fuel characterization are presented to assist the preparation of the final project report.
The current research project BRUZL (Fracture mechanical analysis of spent fuel claddings during long-term dry interim storage) is presented. General aim of the project is the development of methods for risk assessment and identification of boundary conditions to prevent potential sudden brittle failure of spent fuel claddings at small deformation during long-term dry interim storage and subsequent transportation. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) under contract no. 1501561.
Elastomeric O-ring seals are used in a wide range of applications due to their excellent elasticity. However, like all polymers, elastomers degrade under the influence of e.g. time, temperature, oxygen, radiation and mechanical stress. Especially in applications where a replacement of seals after a certain time is hard or almost impossible, it is important to know the seal lifetime. Therefore, an extensive ageing programme with elastomers made of EPDM, HNBR and other materials was started with the aim of determining suitable methods for accelerated ageing and lifetime prediction.
In order to determine the lifetime of polymeric parts, the time-temperature superposition principle is commonly used to shift property changes obtained by accelerated ageing at higher temperatures to lower temperatures. If the shift factors yield a straight line in an Arrhenius diagram, a corresponding activation energy can be determined. However, we have found that the shift factors and thus the predicted lifetime depends on the test method that yielded the shifted data. For example, the shift factor between 125 °C and 150 °C ageing temperature was roughly the same (5/5/4.5 respectively) for hardness, density and maximum of loss factor tan measured on HNBR, but different for elongation at break (8) and compression set (2.2, excluding DLO-affected data). A possible explanation might be that while the different oxidation reactions proceed with a fixed activation energy, they have differing impact on the measured properties. For example, hardness is lowered by chain scission reactions, and increases by crosslinking reactions during ageing. As usually both chain scission and crosslinking reactions occur during ageing, the measured hardness increase reflects only the net effect of both reaction types. On the other hand, compression set is influenced additively by both reaction types: chain scission leads to an increase of the remaining deformation, as broken chains lose their recovery potential, and crosslinking reactions during ageing fix the compressed geometry, which also leads to less recovery. Thus, compression set reflects the total number of changes in the network and shows degradation effects much faster, which results in lower shift factors and lower activation energy. This phenomenon was observed for EPDM as well.
In order to verify our hypotheses and to gain further insights, temperature-dependent oxygen consumption measurements are currently being performed and results will be presented at the conference. The shift factors and activation energy determined by oxygen consumption measurements are expected to be close to the values for compression set.
Due to their high versatility and recovery potential under several load conditions, seals made from elastomers are widely used as barrier seals in containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and as auxiliary seals in spent fuel storage and transportation casks (dual purpose casks (DPC)). In DPC, elastomer seals allow leakage rate measurements of metal barrier seals for demonstration of their proper assembly conditions and performance.
For spent fuel and high level waste as well as for low and intermediate level waste, long time periods will be required before final disposal will be available. Therefore, the long-term behavior of elastomer seals can be an important issue when the cask’s suitability for an extended interim storage period has to be assessed.
During the licensed interim storage duration, the requested leakage rate has to be maintained under any static and dynamic load conditions. A sufficient resilience, the capability of seals to compensate a (rapid) partial release was identified as an important end-of-lifetime criterion.
In the framework of extensive aging and testing programs at BAM, specimen made from representative types of elastomer (EPDM, FKM) were aged for several years at different temperatures ranging from 23 °C to 150 °C. One aim of the experiments was to determine an end-of-lifetime criterion correlated to leakage as the point of seal failure. As the seals remained leak-tight under static conditions even after advanced material degradation, a more demanding leakage test set-up was constructed that allowed a rapid partial release of the seal. This device enables a release of the O-ring by approx. 0.2 mm from 25 % to 23 % compression in less than one second during the pressure rise measurement. If the resilience of the seal has decreased past a certain point, the seal cannot follow the decompression fast enough and a leak path can open. Using a finite element (FE) material model derived earlier from different material tests, this process was simulated with a 3D FE model, reproducing the essential characteristics of the test device.
The FE-model enables the analyzation of the occurring global mechanisms if a leak path opens. The capability of the seals to follow the lifted flange and the subsequent run of compression force depending on the current state of aging are illustrated. The findings of the simulation are correlated and discussed with respect to the pressure rise measurements.
Elastomere werden vielfach in Produkten eingesetzt, die bei verschiedenen Temperaturen verwendet werden. O-Ringe sind kostengünstige Dichtelemente, die allerdings für die Funktionsfähigkeit und Sicherheit eines Produkts entscheidend sein können. Die untere Temperatur-einsatzgrenze ist dabei relevant und aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht nicht allgemein gültig zu definieren, da diese einerseits durch die Änderungen der Materialeigenschaften im Zuge des Gummi-Glas-Übergangs definiert werden, die Temperaturlage dieses Übergangs jedoch sehr stark von den jeweiligen Einsatzbedingungen (z.B. Frequenz) abhängt. Dadurch ergeben sich große Unterschiede zwischen statischen und dynamischen Anwendungen.
Verschieden Untersuchungen sollen vorgestellt und interpretiert werden, um das Auditorium auf verschiedene Herausforderungen aufmerksam zu machen und Lösungsansätze vorzustellen.
Embrittlement of spent fuel claddings during long-term dry interim storage - Current approach at BAM
(2019)
The integrity of fuel rods and cladding tubes must be demonstrated throughout the dry interim storage of spent nuclear fuel in Germany. For at least a relevant number of casks, an extension of interim storage between 40 and 100 years is foreseeable. The drying procedure for the fuel rods in conjunction with the thermomechanical storage conditions may change the microstructure of the cladding tubes and lead to their possible embrittlement. The failure probability might increase under mechanical load by handling procedures (transport after storage) on potentially embrittled cladding tubes of fuel rods especially at low temperatures after long-term storage. Results of ring compression tests on unirradiated pre-hydrided as well as irradiated samples with radial hydrides are investigated by finite element analyses to be able to describe the failure process and to identify failure criteria.
Embrittlement of spent fuel claddings during long-term dry interim storage - Current approach at BAM
(2019)
In this presentation, the actual situation of long-term dry interim storage of spent nuclear fuel in Germany is reported. An extension of the interim storage period between 40 and 100 years for at least a relevant number of casks is foreseeable. To demonstrate the integrity of fuel rods and cladding tubes throughout the extended dry interim storage, a potential cladding embrittlement should be investigated. The current approach at BAM is a research project on experimental and numerical investigations of sudden failure of unirradiated pre-hydrided cladding tubes after hydride reorientation at small deformation under Ring Compression Test conditions. A fracture mechanics based failure analysis and suggested failure criteria for a potential brittle failure of spent fuel claddings after long-term dry interim storage under mechanical loads are discussed.
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.
In Germany, spent nuclear fuel and high active waste from reprocessing is stored in transport and storage containers with double lid systems that are equipped with metal seals completing the primary sealing barrier. The tasks of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) within the interim storage licensing procedures ruled by the German Atomic Energy Act include the long-term safety evaluation of the container design regarding the permanently safe enclosure of the inventory. In order to generate a knowledge base for the safety evaluation, research regarding the long-term behavior of the critical components is performed. So far, the containers are licensed for an interim storage period of 40 years. However, due to significant delays in establishing a final repository, the required time span for interim storage is expected to increase significantly. Thus, a widespread investigation program is run to gain systematic data on the long-term behavior of the seals and to develop prediction models.
Long-term seal investigations consider the development of their restoring seal force, their useable resilience and their achievable leakage rate caused by aging at temperatures ranging from room temperature up to 150 °C. This year, the total time span of the tests reaches 10 years. Furthermore, seal segments are aged at the selected temperatures for up to 300 days. From these segments additional information on the sealing behavior, changes of the seal contact and the material behavior is gained.
This contribution deals with the current results of the long-term seal investigations at BAM. Furthermore, insights of the more in-depth component and material investigations of the metal seals with focus on the seal contact development are discussed and the ongoing work aiming for an analytical description of the thermo-mechanical aging effects on metal seals are presented.
The investigation of the long-term performance of sealing systems employed in containers for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel is one research focus area for division 3.4 “Safety of Storage Containers” at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM). Our investigations comprise investigations on metallic and elastomeric seals and covers experimental investigations to get a database on the component/material behaviour, work on analytical descriptions and numerical analysis. Our aim is to understand the long-term behaviour of the sealing systems for evaluation of their performance during possible extended interim storage and subsequent transportation.
The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is assessing the mechanical and thermal safety performance of packages for the transport of radioactive materials. Drop testing and numerical calculations are usually part of the safety case concepts, where BAM is performing the regulatory tests at their own test facility site.
Among other mechanical tests the 1 meter drop onto a steel puncture bar shall be considered for accident safe packages. According to the IAEA regulations “the bar shall be of solid mild steel of circular section, 15.0 ± 0.5 cm in diameter and 20 cm long, unless a longer bar would cause greater damage…”.
Particularly with regard to the German transport- and storage cask designs, often made from ductile cast iron, an accurate determination of the puncture bar length to guarantee a load impact covering the worst case scenario can be imperative. If the fracture mechanical proof for the cask material shall be provided by a test, small deviations in the concentrated load applied can be decisive for the question if the cask fails or not.
The most damaging puncture bar length can be estimated by iterative procedure in numerical simulations. On the one hand, a sufficient puncture bar length shall guarantee that shock absorbers or other attachments do not prevent or reduce the local load application to the package, on the other hand, a longer and thus less stiff bar causes a smaller maximum contact force. The contrary influence of increasing puncture bar length and increasing effective drop height shall be taken into account if a shock absorber is directly placed in the target area. The paper presents a numerical approach to identify the bar length that causes maximum damage to the package. Using the example of two typical package masses the sensitivity of contact forces and puncture bar deformations to the initial length are calculated and assessed with regard to the international IAEA package safety requirements.
At the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) in Division 3.4 Safety of Storage Containers, one of our tasks is to evaluate the safety of containers designed for disposal of low and intermediate radioactive waste. As such containers might be transported before and stored until disposal, safe enclosure of the radioactive inventory is important for this time span.
Elastomer O-rings are widely used as barrier seals in these containers. Thus, as for many other applications, an understanding of the practical effects of ageing degradation on elastomer seals during long-term exposure is mandatory for predicting the lifetime of such components. According to a long-term test programme on three kinds of rubbers (EPDM and FKM (relevant for application), HNBR (for comparison)), over several years we have studied the degradation and the change of mechanical properties (e.g. hardness, strain at break) at four different ageing temperatures (75 °C, 100 °C, 125 °C and 150 °C) as well as the change of sealing properties. Continuous and intermittent compression stress relaxation (CSR) measurements were performed in order to investigate the respective contribution of crosslinking and chain scission to the observed degradation effects. Thus, the degradation kinetics and mechanisms could be resolved more clearly. For assessing the seal performance, compression set (CS) and leakage rate measurements were conducted. The experimental results showed that the O-rings remained leak-tight under purely static conditions even when CSR, CS and mechanical properties already indicated far advanced degradation. For this reason, a modified leakage test involving a small and rapid partial decompression of the seal was developed that enabled determining an end-of-lifetime criterion for O-rings with a safety margin for thermal shrinkage and vibrations.
Safety of long term containment and storage of radioactive waste is an essential issue, which is increasingly gaining international attention. Extending interim storage beyond initial license periods is one of the major challenges worldwide.
BAM has been involved in all kinds of radioactive waste container safety evaluation for storage and transportation including their long term performance from the very beginning. Today, all work related to the safe management of radioactive waste is linked by the activity field “Nuclear Waste Management” within the Focus Area “Energy” at BAM and in conjunction with a research strategy and agenda. Most recently, the working group “Long Term Safety of Container Systems and Components” was established to launch and perform research projects related to safety issues concerning the extended interim storage of radioactive waste.
For example, within our project LaMEP, we investigate ageing effects of metal and elastomer seals as well as polymeric neutron shielding materials, which are container components that fulfil major safety functions. The results of the experiments help to understand the long term behaviour of these components. Likewise, our project BRUZL started at BAM in 2018 with the aim of developing a fracture mechanics approach to understand and describe a potential brittle failure mechanism of fuel cladding during long-term interim storage. BAM also contributes to the GRS project “Development of methods and models and international exchange for safety evaluation in the frame of interim storage of radioactive waste”. Additionally, BAM is involved in several international research programmes dealing with extended interim storage, such as the European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management (EURAD), the Extended Storage Collaboration Program (ESCP) and IAEA Coordinated Research Projects.
The present contribution provides a comprehensive overview of BAM research activities contributing to national and international gap analyses and to filling knowledge gaps regarding the safe long term management of radioactive waste.
The characterization of spent fuel and radioactive waste is essential in the evaluation of the ability of these materials to meet acceptance criteria. Prior to determining a method for spent fuel characterization, it is necessary to identify the type of data required to support safety and other analyses for the storage, transportation and final disposal of spent fuel. BAM’s understanding and capabilities in the field of spent fuel characterization are presented for the scope of a coordinated research project on the topic.
Die Verfügbarkeit von Behältern für die Entsorgung nicht Wärme entwickelnder radioaktiver Abfälle im Endlager Konrad stellt ein wesentliches Element des nationalen Entsorgungskonzeptes für diese Abfallart dar. Grundlage für die Verfügbarkeit geeigneter Behälter sind typspezifische Bauartprüfungen, auf deren Grundlage eine Eignungs-feststellung in Form eines Prüfzeugnisses durch die Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (BGE), vormals Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), erfolgt. Die Prüfgrundlagen sind in den durch das BfS (heute BGE) veröffent-lichten „Anforderungen an endzulagernde radioaktive Abfälle“ (Endlagerungsbedingungen) sowie der zugehörigen „Produktkontrolle radioaktiver Abfälle, radiologische Aspekte“ (PK) verankert. Die Eignungsfeststellung für eine Behälterbauart ist gleichzeitig die Grundlage für eine Behälterserienfertigung entsprechend den im Prüfzeugnis verankerten Spezifikationen und Randbedingungen.
Mit den Gesetzen zur Neuordnung der Organisationsstruktur im Bereich der Endlagerung (Mitte 2016) und zur Neuordnung der Verantwortung in der kerntechnischen Entsorgung (Mitte 2017) mit der Finanzierung des Kern-energieausstiegs wurden wesentliche Weichenstellungen im Hinblick auf den anstehenden Rückbau der bereits stillgelegten und in den kommenden Jahren noch stillzulegenden deutschen Kernkraftwerke vorgenommen. Bezüg-lich der nicht Wärme entwickelnden radioaktiven Abfälle führt dies zu einer spürbaren Intensivierung der Anstren-gungen zur Bereitstellung qualifizierter Gebinde für das Endlager Konrad, das nach aktueller Planung bis 2027 sei-nen Einlagerungsbetrieb aufnehmen soll. Dies wiederum führt zu einer erheblichen Verdichtung der Verfahren zur Behälterbauartprüfung, die allen Seiten (Antragsteller, BGE, Gutachter) erhebliche Anstrengungen abfordert.
Die Bundesanstalt für Materialprüfung und –forschung (BAM) ist auf Grundlage des Kap. 7 der o. g. „Produktkon-trolle …“ (PK) von der BGE mit den Behälterbauartprüfungen für das Endlager Konrad beauftragt. Hierbei ist eine Vielzahl von Anforderungen zu berücksichtigen, wozu neben den Anforderungen an Abfallbehälter gemäß Kap. 5 der Endlagerungsbedingungen weitere Anforderungen an die Verpackung (Kap. 3.2.2 PK), Kenngrößen (Kap. 3.5.1 PK) und schließlich die eigentliche Prüfung von Behältern/Verpackungen zählt (Kap. 7 PK). Letzteres beinhaltet die umfassende Behälterbeschreibung und –spezifikation, die Behälterauslegung, die thermischen und mechanischen Baumusterprüfungen (z.B. Brand- und Fallprüfungen), und schließlich die qualitätssichernden Maßnahmen für Her-stellung und Betrieb der Behälter. Neben der klassischen Bauartprüfung neuer Behältertypen spielt auch die Prü-fung bereits hergestellter Behälter, sog. Altbehälter, eine wesentliche Rolle, da sich etliche tausend Gebinde be-reits in der Zwischenlagerung befinden und nach Möglichkeit für das Endlager Konrad qualifiziert werden sollen.
Dieser Beitrag berichtet aktuell über den Umfang und Stand der laufenden Bauartprüfungen bei der BAM unter Be-rücksichtigung der besonderen Herausforderungen und der zuletzt erzielten Fortschritte. Dabei erfordert die paral-lele Bearbeitung der zahlreichen Verfahren einen verstärkten Koordinierungsbedarf hinsichtlich vergleichbarer fach-licher Aspekte sowie hinsichtlich Priorisierung und Ressourceneinsatz. Bei den experimentellen Nachweisen (Fall- und Brandversuche) betrifft das hinsichtlich der Nutzung der Versuchseinrichtungen bei der BAM die Koordination mit anderen Prüfaufträgen, wie z. B. verkehrsrechtliche Baumusterprüfungen. Schließlich erfordern diverse Fach-fragen zur Interpretation der Anforderungen aus Endlagerungsbedingungen und Produktkontrolle intensive Abstim-mungsprozesse zwischen BAM, BGE und Antragstellern. Wichtige Ergebnisse mit übergeordneter Bedeutung wer-den in Form erläuternder Fachnotizen durch die BGE veröffentlicht und können so bei zukünftigen Antragsverfahren berücksichtigt werden.
A reliable finite element analysis presupposes a qualified model of the object to be analyzed. The finite element mesh density may significantly vary throughout a model. A transition between dissimilar meshes can be accomplished by a gradual change of element size or by an interface with constraint conditions. Some issues may arise from such mesh transitions. Generally, a finer mesh can transmit signals of higher frequency than a coarser mesh. Stress wave propagation through the model could be affected by the transition region or the artificially induced interface. Stress waves generated within the fine mesh could be partly encapsulated by the surrounding coarse mesh. Therefore poor mesh transitions could result in reflections or shape changes of stress waves. A thin rod is investigated to demonstrate the effects.
This study supports the development of the ASME Guidance Document "Use of Explicit Finite Element Analysis for the Evaluation of Nuclear Transport and Storage Packages in Energy-Limited Impact Events".
Three-dimensional finite element analysis of O-ring metal seals considering manufacture tolerances
(2019)
Metal seals are widely used in various industrial branches with severe working conditions (e.g. high pressure, high temperature, corrosion, or radioactive radiation). For example, O-ring metal seals are applied in the closure lid system of transport and storage casks for radioactive materials to guarantee an approved specified leak-tightness and the safe enclosure of the radioactive inventory. Within safety assessments of those casks under normal or accident conditions during transport and long-term interim storage for several decades, numerical simulations of the thermo-mechanical behavior of metal seals by using finite element (FE) analyses are suitable and effective.
In general, finite element codes provide the possibility to construct a complex three-dimensional (3D) modelling of metal seals with solid elements, cf., where all components of the metal seals are modeled in detail. This modelling is complex but allows the consideration of underlying physical effects such as elastic-plastic deformation, thermal expansion, creep/relaxation, friction and possible local damage. Therefore, this approach permits the investigation and understanding of the complex behavior of metal seals in detail which can hardly be measured for all seal components.
In a prior work, the complex 3D modelling approach was applied to investigate the influence of each seal component on the global seal force by considering varying material properties and different seal diameters. In the present contribution, the influence of manufacturing tolerances is discussed. At first, the results of prior work are summarized. After that, the manufacturing tolerances of the studied O-ring metal seal types are described and the corresponding FE model with all individual components is introduced. Finally, the influence of varying manufacturing tolerances of each seal component on the global seal force is analyzed and discussed.