Impact analysis of stainless steel spent fuel canisters

This paper presents the results of the numerical analysis performed to asses the structural integrity of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) stainless steel canisters when subjected to impact loads associated with free gravity drops from heights not exceeding 20 ft. The SNF canisters are to be used for the Shipment of radioactive material from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Site to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) for storage. The Idaho chemical Processing Plant Fuel Receipt Criteria Questionnaire requires that the vertical drop accidents from two heights be analyze. These heights are those that are considered to be critical at the time of unloading the canisters from the shipping cask. The configurations analyzed include a maximum payload of 90 lbs dropping from heights of 20 and 3 ft. The nominal weight of the canister is 23.3 lbs. The analysis has been performed using finite element methods. Innovative analysis techniques are used to capture the effects of failure and separation of canister components. The structural integrity is evaluated in terms of physical deformation and separation of the canister components that may result from failure of components at selected interfaces