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Beginning in 1976 the former iron ore mine Konrad was geologically investigated concerning its suitability as a location for a German final repository for low and intermediate level waste. After a comprehensive licensing procedure it was approved and is now being prepared and equipped for the planned start of storage in 2027. At the end of the 1980s, the requirements for waste containers for storage in this repository were defined for the first time on the basis of an incident analysis of the on-site handling procedures, beginning with the unloading of the packages after the arrival at the site up to the final positioning in the underground storage galleries. A 5-meter drop onto the rock ground of the mine was identified as the covering case for high mechanical requirements (ABK II container class). In contrast to the 9-meter drop according to the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, the 5-meter drop is performed onto a hard but not essentially unyielding target. The container is typically not protected by an impact limiter. The requirements for a potential test facility are described in the regulations for the Konrad repository. The mechanical strength of the target is defined as a concrete strength equivalent to the identified properties of the rock ground of the mine.
Since 1991 BAM has consistently used precast reinforced concrete slabs as target for drop tests in the framework of licensing procedures as well as in research projects. While the original design fulfilled the requirement for the integrity of the concrete slab in most cases, it failed when drop tests onto an edge of a container were performed. A redesigned concrete slab developed in a research project and suggested as a reference target in 2009 has been successfully used in Konrad licensing procedures since then.
The paper gives a brief overview of the historical development and it describes BAM’s efforts and approaches to continuously guarantee a concrete slab of defined quality and to provide a test setup for valid drop tests from the applicants and the authorities view.
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.
The general aim of this research is the development of methods for predicting mechanical behavior and identification of limiting conditions to prevent brittle failure of high-burnup (HBU) pressure water reactor (PWR) fuel cladding alloys. A finite element (FE) model of the ring compression test (RCT) was created to analyze the failure behavior of zirconium-based alloys with radial hydrides during the RCT. An elastic-plastic material model describes the zirconium alloy. The stress-strain curve needed for the elastic-plastic material model was derived by inverse finite element analyses. Cohesive zone modeling is used to reproduce sudden load drops during RCT loading. Based on the failure mechanism in non-irradiated ZIRLO® claddings, a micro-mechanical model was developed that distinguishes between brittle failure along hydrides and ductile failure of the zirconium matrix. Two different cohesive laws representing these types of failure are present in the same cohesive interface. The key differences between these constitutive laws are the cohesive strength, the stress at which damage initiates, and the cohesive energy, which is the damage energy dissipated by the cohesive zone. Statistically generated matrix-hydride distributions were mapped onto the cohesive elements and simulations with focus on the first load drop were performed. Computational results are in good agreement with the RCT results conducted on high-burnup M5® samples. It could be shown that crack initiation and propagation strongly depend on the specific configuration of hydrides and matrix material in the fracture area.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) and the German Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) was signed in October 2014. Its objectives are to promote cooperation among scientists and specialists at Argonne and BAM and establish a framework for collaboration in advanced technologies associated with the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Collaborative activities involving Argonne and BAM may be implemented through the promotion of joint research activities and scientific workshops and conferences; exchange of technical information; and visits by scientists, specialists, and graduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. students. The MOU was renewed in January 2020 for another five years. Highlights of the progress and achievements are provided in identified topical areas for collaboration on ageing management guidance, storage, transportation and disposal R&D, joint conference activities, and conclude with the benefits of the MOU in fostering Argonne and BAM collaboration.
Abgeleitet aus den in Teil 3 der „Systemanalyse Konrad“ definierten Lastannahmen für den „untertägigen Anlagenbereich“ müssen Verpackungen, die der Abfallbehälterklasse I (ABK I) mit dem zusätzlichen Merkmal der störfallfesten (sf) Verpackung oder der ABK II zugeordnet werden, gemäß den „Endlagerungsbedingungen, Endlager Konrad“, nach einem „…Fall aus 5 m Höhe auf eine unnachgiebige Unterlage…“ bestimmten Anforderungen genügen.
Eine nähere Beschreibung der Prüfeinrichtung sowie die Definition detaillierter Anforderungen an das Aufprallfundament erfolgen in der „Produktkontrolle, Endlager Konrad“: „Die Prüfeinrichtung, bestehend aus einer Hebeeinrichtung und einem Fundament ist so zu gestalten, dass der Fall des Prüfmusters in jeder beliebigen Aufprallorientierung aus 5 m Höhe, gemessen von der Unterkante des Prüfmusters zum Fundament, möglich ist. Das Fundament ist aus Beton der Mindestgüte B 35 herzustellen und muss so beschaffen und verankert sein, dass keine Zerstörung in zahlreiche kleinere Bruchstücke erfolgt und keine horizontale Verschiebung des Fundamentes oder seiner Teile auftritt. Maße und Masse des Fundaments müssen so beschaffen sein, dass der Einfluss des Baugrundes unter dem Fundament auf den Aufprallwiderstand vernachlässigbar ist.“
Im Rahmen der Bauartprüfung für Behälter zur Endlagerung radioaktiver Abfälle mit zu vernachlässigender Wärmeentwicklung im Endlager Konrad wird die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) von der Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) als Sachverständige hinzugezogen und ist in der Regel auch mit der Durchführung der notwendigen Fallprüfungen auf dem Testgelände Technische Sicherheit der BAM (BAM TTS) einschließlich der Bereitstellung der benötigten Prüfeinrichtungen sowie des regelkonformen Aufprallfundamentes beauftragt. Der Prozess, beginnend von der Gewährleistung einer von allen Beteiligten als gültig bewerteten Fallprüfung bis hin zur abschließenden Bewertung und Interpretation der Versuchsergebnisse erfordert dabei u.a. eine sorgfältige Planung und Fertigung der für das Endlager Konrad repräsentativen Fundamentplatte und deren Ankopplung an einen Untergrund im Sinne der „Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material“ wie er zum Beispiel auf den beiden Fallversuchsanlagen des BAM Testgelände Technische Sicherheit (BAM TTS) zur Verfügung steht.
Um diese Anforderungen zu erfüllen muss zum einen der Erhalt der Integrität der Fundamentplatte beim Fallversuch durch eine geeignete Auswahl und kraftflussgerechte Anordnung der Stabstahl-Bewehrung sowie deren Verankerung garantiert und damit eine unzulässige Energieaufnahme durch Risse sowie eine unzulässige „… Zerstörung (der Fundamentplatte) in zahlreiche kleinere Bruchstücke …“, wie in [3] gefordert, verhindert werden. Außerdem ist zu gewährleisten, dass der Beton die Anforderungen an die vorgeschriebene Mindestgüte bzw. -festigkeit zum Zeitpunkt der Fallprüfung erfüllt, die Betonfestigkeit jedoch zur Vermeidung unnötig verschärfter Prüfrandbedingungen eine zu definierende Obergrenze nicht überschreitet.
Ausgehend von dem 2009 im Rahmen der KONTEC veröffentlichten Wissensstand präsentiert die BAM im vorliegenden Beitrag die wesentlichen Ergebnisse der zwischenzeitlich bei der Planung und Durchführung von zahlreichen Fallprüfungen gewonnenen Erfahrungen bzgl. Spezifikation und Fertigung der für die Fallversuche notwendigen Fundamentplatten sowie deren Anbindung an den Untergrund. Neben den immer wieder notwendigen Anstrengungen zur Gewährleistung einer im Rahmen der Definition korrekten Betondruckfestigkeit am Tag der Fallprüfung wird die Anpassung der Bewehrungsführung an verschiedene Fallpositionen diskutiert.
Zur Ergänzung des gültigen Regelwerks entsteht parallel zu diesem Dokument eine Fachnotiz, in der BGE und BAM die Vorgaben und Spezifikationen zur regelwerkskonformen Herstellung und Montage von Fundamentplatten für Fallprüfungen im Rahmen der Behälterbauartprüfungsverfahren für das Endlager Konrad zusammenfassen und veröffentlichen werden. Diese Fachnotiz soll detaillierte Vorgaben und Spezifikationen zur Planung, Beauftragung, Herstellung und abschließenden Prüfung eines solchen Fundamentes und dessen Anbindung an den Untergrund enthalten. Damit soll allen beteiligten Organisationen wie Antragstellern, Sachverständigen und BGE ein langfristig verlässlicher Leitfaden im Hinblick auf die Durchführung anforderungsgerechter Fallprüfungen unter definierten und reproduzierbaren Randbedingungen im Rahmen der Bauartprüfungsverfahren für das Endlager Konrad an die Hand gegeben werden.
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.
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 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.
Numerical approach to determine the correct puncture bar length for the IAEA puncture bar drop test
(2018)
Among other mechanical tests the 1 meter drop onto a steel puncture bar shall be considered for accident safe packages for the transport of radioactive material. According with 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…”. The most damaging puncture bar length can be estimated by iterative processes in numerical simulations. On the one hand, a sufficient puncture bar length has to 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.