Package performance evaluation: latest 30 year experience

Abstract

During the last 30 years, on several of its package designs, TN International has performed tests and analyses to simulate extremely severe accidents – including long duration fire tests; deep immersion tests; burials in a soft ground and aircraft crash tests – on packages for used fuel, high level vitrified waste, PuO₂ powder, and fresh MOX fuel.

The current paper reviews the tests and analyses performed, the results of which a) show that the TN International designs can withstand extremely severe conditions, b) demonstrate that there is no 'cliff effect', i.e. should a failure occur, it appears gradually; and b) explain how compliance with all of the regulatory requirements leads to high performance regarding each of them.

Keywords:

• DROP TESTS
• PACKAGE PERFORMANCE
• REGULATION