DETERMINING DEGRADATION OF FIBERBOARD IN THE 9975 SHIPPING PACKAGE BY MEASURING AXIAL GAP

Currently, thousands of model 9975 transportation packages are in use by the US Department of Energy (DOE); the design of which has been certified by DOE for shipment of Type B radioactive and fissile materials in accordance with Part 71, Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), or 10 CFR 71, Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material. These transportation packages are also approved for the storage of DOE-STD-3013 containers at the Savannah River Site (SRS). As such, the 9975 has been continuously exposed to the service environment for a period of time greater than the approved transportation service life. In order to ensure the material integrity as specified in the safety basis, an extensive surveillance program is in place in K-Area Complex (KAC) to monitor the structural and thermal properties of the fiberboard of the 9975 shipping packages. The surveillance approach uses a combination of NonDestructive Examination (NDE) field surveillance and Destructive Examination (DE) lab testing to validate the 9975 performance assumptions. The fiberboard in the 9975 is credited with thermal insulation, criticality control and resistance to crushing. During surveillance monitoring in KAC, an increased axial gap of the fiberboard was discovered on selected items packaged at Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS). Many of these packages were later found to contain excess moisture. Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) testing has resulted in a better understanding of the relationship between the fiberboard moisture level and compaction of the fiberboard under storage conditions and during transport. In laboratory testing, the higher moisture content has been shown to correspond to higher total compaction of fiberboard material and compaction rate. The fiberboard height is reduced by compression of the layers. This change is observed directly in the axial gap between the flange and the air shield. The axial gap measurement is made during the pre-use inspection or during the annual recertification process and is a screening measurement for changes in the fiberboard.