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Abstract
When designing and then licensing a package for the transport of light water reactor fuel, it is normal practice to demonstrate impact performance by conducting drop tests at orientations determined to be the most severe. Usually, accelerometers are fitted to the package during the impact testing so that data may be applied in supporting stress analysis. In most cases the accelerometers are fitted to the external surfaces of the package while the data so obtained is frequently applied to the study of internal components. However, this approach is frequently challenged on the basis that internal accelerations could be different to those measured on the outside of the package, perhaps even higher! Accordingly, International Nuclear Services commissioned a theoretical study looking at a range of accelerations, as measured on the package body and compared these to accelerations on the fuel. This concluded that, with certain parameters acting, accelerations experienced by the fuel could indeed be higher than measured on the package. However, it was more likely that accelerations on the fuel would be lower and of longer duration. The present study demonstrated that there is no simple answer to this issue, nevertheless there is clearly potential for a package designer to minimise impact accelerations on the fuel by considering the fuel basket stiffness and internal clearances in conjunction with package impact characteristics.