Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation Package Seal Performance in Beyond Design Basis Thermal Exposure Scenarios

Published

March 3, 2011

Author(s)

Jiann Yang, Edward Hnetkovsky, Christopher Bajwa, Earl Easton, Felix Gonzalez

Abstract

The NRC is investigating the performance of seals in SNF transportation packages exposed to fires that could exceed the HAC fire described in 10CFR Part 71, such as the Baltimore Tunnel Fire that occurred in 2001. The performance of package seals is important for determining the potential release of radioactive material from a package during a beyond-design-basis accident. The seals have lower temperature limits than other package components and are the containment barrier between the environment and the cask contents. The NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research contracted the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct small-scale thermal testing to obtain experimental data of the performance of seals during extreme temperature exposures. The experimental testing consisted of several small-scale pressure vessels fabricated with a modified ASME flange design and used metallic seals from a selected manufacturer, similar to those that might be used on an actual SNF transportation package. The vessels were heated in an electrical oven at temperatures as high as 800°C, which far exceeded the rated temperature of the seals in question. This paper will provide a summary of the testing completed to date, specifically the metallic seal thermal testing, as well as the present preliminary results and conclusions.

Proceedings Title

Waste Management(WM) 2011

Conference Dates

February 27-March 3, 2011

Conference Location

Phoenix, AZ, US

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

Fires, Pressure vessel, Seals, Testing

Citation

Yang, J. , Hnetkovsky, E. , Bajwa, C. , Easton, E. and Gonzalez, F. (2011), Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation Package Seal Performance in Beyond Design Basis Thermal Exposure Scenarios, Waste Management(WM) 2011, Phoenix, AZ, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=908537 (Accessed October 11, 2025)