Analytical Evaluation of Drop Tests Performed on Nine 18-Inch Diameter Standardized DOE Spent Nuclear Fuel Canisters
During fiscal year 1999, a total of nine 18-inch diameter test canisters were fabricated at the Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) to represent the standardized Department of Energy (DOE) Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) canister design. Various "worst case" internal loadings were incorporated. Seven of the test canisters were 15-foot long and weighed approximately 6000 pounds, while two were 10-foot long and weighed 3000 and 3800 pounds. Seven of the test canisters were dropped from thirty feet onto an essentially unyielding flat surface and one of the test canisters was dropped from 40-inches onto a 6-inch diameter puncture post. The final test canister was dropped from 24 inches onto a 2-inch thick vertically oriented steel plate, and then tipped over to impact another 2-inch thick vertically oriented steel plate. This last test was attempting to represent a canister dropping onto another larger container such as a repository disposal container. All drop testing was performed at Sandia National Laboratory (SNL). The nine test canisters experienced varying degrees of damage to their skirts, lifting rings, and pressure boundary components (heads and main body). However, all of the canisters were shown to have maintained their pressure boundary (through pressure testing), and the four worst damaged canisters were also shown to be leaktight (via helium leak testing performed at the INEEL). Pre-drop and post-drop test canister finite element modeling was performed at the INEEL in support of the canister drop test program. All model evaluations were performed using the ABAQUS/Explicit software. The finite element models representing the test canisters accurately (though at times, slightly conservatively) predicted the actual test canister responses during the defined drop events.This paper will discuss highlights of the drop testing program and will give detailed comparisons of analysis versus actual test results.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-99ID-13727
- OSTI ID:
- 910704
- Report Number(s):
- INEEL/CON-99-01072; TRN: US200802%%81
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: American Society of Mechanical Engineers PVP-2000,Seattle, WA,07/23/2000,07/27/2000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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