Fracture Toughness of Heavy Section Ductile Iron Castings and Safety Assessment of Cast Casks

The strategy for interim storage of nuclear spent fuel prior to reprocessing is established in Japan. We propose to develop technical schemes for dry metal cask storage, i.e., to prove the practicality of ductile cast iron casks. To successfully meet this goal, the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry has organized a QA Committee to address the technical issues regarding the quality assurance ofDCI casks. The CRIEPI plans to confirm the adequacy of this spent fuel storage technology through round robbin material tests by the committee and verification testing programs under tile sponsorship of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Participating in the CRIEPI's programs, the NKK. Corporation is now struggling with the development of reliable and high performable DCI casks.