Immersion Tests For Cask Transporting Vitrified High-Level Radioactive Waste

Abstract

To ensure the safe transport of high-level radioactive wastes, the demonstration tests stipulated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) transport regulations were carried out in the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI). This paper describes the water immersion test. The test cask for the test was designed as a Type B package and the design combines the specific structural features of both the COGEMA and the BNFL (planned) casks, which are used for shipping HLW from France and the United Kingdom respectively. The test results show that strains due to the water pressure were negligible at the test of a head of 15 m. At the immersion test at 200 m water depth the measured maximum strain was sufficiently within the elastic limit and no rupture was observed. In addition, the immersion test at a water pressure of more than 2 MPa, which is beyond specification, was carried out to assess the capability of the cask against water pressure. Maximum water pressure was set to 30 MPa. No rupture was observed during the test and the leak rates did not show any differences before and after the test.