Thomas Quercetti

Comparison of experimental results from drop testing of spent fuel package design using full scale prototype model and reduced scale model

Abstract This paper presents a comparison between full scale prototype and reduced scale model drop test data in regard to similarity mechanics. Together with a current BAM research project, the paper contributes to the further development of mechanical evaluation methods for safety assessment of RAM transport and storage packages including the transferability of package impact response from reduced scale models to full scale packages.

Measurement techniques and preliminary results of drop tests with full scale spent fuel transport and storage casks

Abstract The experimental testing and quantitative stress analysis of new cask designs becomes more and more important with increasing size of casks and their impact limiters, in order to assess the safety margins as well as for calculation validation reasons. Full scale drop testing of spent fuel transport and storage casks is performed by the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing within the type B package approval procedure and for safety demonstration reasons respectively. In drop tests for demonstrating ability of a package to withstand normal and accident conditions of transport, the instrumentation of a specimen is an important tool to evaluate its mechanical behaviour during impact. Generally, the instrumentation incorporates the measurement of strains and accelerations at the package. Test results as deceleration–time and strain–time functions constitute a main basis for the validation of assumptions in the safety analysis, for the evaluation of calculations based on finite element methods and extrapolation of scale model testing on full sized package within approval design tests. Besides, all of the above mentioned instrumentation, the flatness of the sealing area and the circularity of the cask lid flange are determined by using three-dimensional coordinate measurements to evaluate the mechanical impact behaviour of the cask flange region after the drop test sequence. Indispensable are measurements concerning leak tightness of the closure lid system. Additionally, specific photogrammetric measurements are used to characterise the conditions of the closure lid system after drop test in more detail. The preparation and interpretation of the results is in progress and indicates possible correlations between the leak tightness rate and measures of the relative movement of the lid.

Drop test program with half scale model CASTOR® HAW/TB2

Abstract Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is the competent authority for mechanical and thermal safety assessment of transport packages for spent fuel and high level waste in Germany. In context with package design approval of the new German high level waste cask CASTOR® HAW28M, BAM performed several drop tests with a half scale model of the CASTOR® HAW/TB2. The cask is manufactured by Gesellschaft für Nuklear Service mbH and was tested under accident transport conditions on the 200 tons BAM drop test facility at the BAM Test Site Technical Safety. For this comprehensive test program, the test specimen CASTOR® HAW/TB2 was instrumented at 21 measurement planes with altogether 23 piezo resistive accelerometers, five temperature sensors and 131 triaxial strain gauges in the container interior and exterior respectively. The strains of four representative lid bolts were recorded by four uniaxial strain gauges per each bolt. Helium leakage rate measurements were performed before and after each test in the above noted testing sequence. The paper presents some experimental results of the half scale CASTOR® HAW/TB2 prototype (14 500 kg) and measurement data logging. It illustrates the extensive instrumentation and analyses that are used by BAM for evaluating the cask performance to the mechanical tests required by regulations. Although some of the quantitative deceleration, velocity and strain values cannot be shown because of confidentially issues, they are provided qualitatively to illustrate the types of measurements and methodologies used at BAM.

Impact target characterisation of BAM drop test facility

Abstract BAM safety related research of containers for radioactive material focuses on advanced mechanical safety assessment methods for verification of the structural integrity and leak tightness under normal conditions of transport and hypothetical accident conditions during transport and storage. An essentially unyielding target with a rigid surface is required for impact tests performed for package approval according to IAEA regulations. In addition to specification of a target, e.g. with a combined mass more than 10 times that of the specimen for drop tests, unyielding target characteristics have been investigated with various package designs and different impact tests. The unyielding target of the BAM drop test facility, a reinforced concrete block together with an embedded and anchored mild steel plate, provides relatively large mass and stiffness with respect to the packages being tested. For monitoring reasons accelerometers and strain gauges are embedded in the concrete block of the foundation at several positions. Additionally, dynamic impact responses like vibrations and rigid body motion can be measured by seismic accelerometers. The mechanical characterisation of the targets rigidity is based on experimental results from various drop tests. Test containers with weights of 181 000 kg, 127 000 kg and 8010 kg hit the target with velocities up to 13˙5 m s–1 in the horizontal and vertical drop positions. The rigidity of the impact target can be demonstrated with experimental results confirmed by analytical approaches. Some conclusions can be drawn about experimental testing as well as analytical calculations in order to compare impact effects.

Internal cask content collisions during drop test of transport casks for radioactive materials

Abstract In transport casks for radioactive materials, significantly large axial and radial gaps between cask and internal content are often present because of certain specific geometrical dimensions of the content (e.g. spent fuel elements) or thermal reasons. The possibility of inner relative movement between content and cask will increase if the content is not fixed. During drop testing, these movements can lead to internal cask content collisions, causing significantly high loads on the cask components and the content itself. Especially in vertical drop test orientations onto a lid side of the cask, an internal collision induced by a delayed impact of the content onto the inner side of the lid can cause high stress peaks in the lid and the lid bolts with the risk of component failure as well as impairment of the leak tightness of the closure system. This paper reflects causes and effects of the phenomenon of internal impact on the basis of experimental results obtained from instrumented drop tests with transport casks and on the basis of analytical approaches. Furthermore, the paper concludes the importance of consideration of possible cask content collisions in the safety analysis of transport casks for radioactive materials under accident conditions of transport.

Basic of Transport and Storage of Radioactive Materials

Transport and storage of radioactive materials are performed in countries with policy of either closed or open nuclear fuel cycle. The related technologies have been established by accumulation of experiences and researches including demonstrative tests using full scale or scale models and analyses. Those are essential before commercialization, but are often costly and time consuming. Such demonstrative works should not be repeated meaninglessly, but can be shared through this kind of book and used by readers and the future generations to advance the technology effectively. This book systematically provides findings from lots of valuable researches on safety of transport and storage of radioactive materials under normal and accident conditions that have an impact on basis of safe regulations, designs, and operations.

Internal Cask Content Collision During Drop Tests

The interaction between the package lid system and internal Content during mechanical drop testing is a decisive matter in evaluating Impact loads and the safety of the package. In the case of movable contents ist impact onto the inner side of the package lid can cause additional load peaks on the lid and the lid bolts. Some aspects of this issue were discussed on the basis of experimental results from instrumented drop tests with transport casks and on the basis of analytical approaches.

Drop testing of a container for the storage. transport and disposal of intermediate level waste

Impact tests were performed, as part of a corresponding container’s substantiation, during design development of a shielded container proposed for use at Sellafield for waste retrieval from the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) in the UK. The mechanical test program comprised a 9m free drop test onto an unyielding target in a container long lid edge down orientation at ambient conditions. Further, a 0,5m free drop test onto a punch target was performed. Here, the container was orientated with the lid downwards in a way that the punch, a mild steel bar, impacts a filter lid. The test specimen was instrumented with strain gauges and accelerometers for the drop tests. Transient strains at selected points of the inner and outer container walls, at the shielding lid, as well as at the lid bolts were measured during the container’s impact. Furthermore, decelerations of the container body, container lid, and the skip were measured. The complex geometrical changes of the container due to impact were determined by optical 3d- deformation measures using the projected fringes method in combination with multi-image photogrammetry. This paper summarizes the performance of the drop tests and various drop test results in context with the design development as well as aspects regarding the associated Finite Element (FE) analyses and post-test evaluation.

Experimental testing of impact limiters for RAM packages under drop test conditions

Abstract In context with new cask designs and their approval procedure, the experimental testing of impact limiters under drop test conditions becomes more and more important in order to assess the damage mechanics behaviour and safety margins for validation reasons. In recent years, various designs of impact limiters have been tested by the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing within specific component testing and particularly with regard to type B package design approval procedures. The paper focuses on the experimental realisation of impact limiter tests and presents implemented measurement techniques to determine the amount of deformation and to explain the impact behaviour by means of photogrammetric metrology and three-dimensional fringe projection method, high speed motion analysis and adjusted deceleration measurements.

Drop and fire testing of spent fuel and HLW transport casks at ‘BAM Test Site Technical Safety’

Abstract BAM, as a competent German government institute for the mechanical and thermal testing of radioactive material transport and storage containers, operates unique drop and fire test facilities for experimental investigations on the open air BAM Test Site Technical Safety. To be able to perform even drop tests with full scale spent fuel or HAW casks (i.e. the German CASTOR cask designs), BAM constructed in 2004 a large drop test facility capable to handle 200 ton test objects, and to drop them onto a steel plate covered unyielding target with a mass of nearly 2600 ton. Drop test campaigns of the 181 ton GNS CONSTOR V/TC, the 129 ton MHI MSF-69BG and a 1∶2 scale model of the GNS CASTOR HAW28M (CASTOR HAW/TB2) have been performed since then. The experimental BAM drop testing activities can be supported also by drop testing of smaller packages (up to 2 ton) in an in-house test facility and by dynamic, guided impact testing of package components and material specimen inside a new drop test machine. In May 2008, a new modern fire test facility was put into operation. The facility provides two test stands fired with liquid propane. Testing in every case has to be completed by computational investigations, where BAM operates appropriate finite element modelling on appropriate computer codes, e.g. ABAQUS, LS-DYNA, ANSYS and other analytical tools.