Assessment of integrity of a dual-purpose metal cask after long-term interim storage: seal performance under transport conditions

Abstract

Spent fuels generated in nuclear power plants (NPPs) must be stored until they can be reprocessed into new energy sources in Japan. The quantity of spent fuel stored at each NPP site is increasing, and early realisation of a method of interim storage is expected. Dual-purpose metal casks will be used which will not be reopened until they are delivered to a reprocessing plant, in order to minimize radiation exposure to personnel. The Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES) was established on 1 October 2003 with the mission of ensuring public safety from the potential hazards of nuclear energy. JNES have also been conducting a study of dry storage technology for interim storage. The study of verification of metal cask storage technology, the results of which from a storage and subsequent transport safety point of view are presented in this paper, was originally initiated with government funds in 1999 at the Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation, before being transferred to and conducted by JNES up to the end of 2003.