INVESTIGATION OF A SPENT FUEL CASK BESIDE AN EXPLODING PROPANE TANK

In 1999 a fire test was performed with a 45 m³ rail tank car partially filled with 10 m³ pressurised liquid propane. An original CASTOR THTR/AVR spent fuel transport cask was positioned beside the propane tank as to suffer maximum damage from any explosion. About 17 minutes after fire ignition the propane tank ruptured. This resulted in a BLEVE with an expanding fireball, heat radiation, explosion overpressure, and tank fragments projected towards the cask. This imposed severe mechanical and thermal impacts directly onto the CASTOR cask , moving it 7 m from its original position. This involved rotation of the cask with the lid end travelling 10 m before it crashed into the ground. Post-test investigations of the CASTOR cask demonstrated that no loss of leaktightness or containment and shielding integrity occurred.