Benchmarking of the Computer Code and the Thirty Foot Side Drop Analysis for the Shippingport RPV /NST Package*

This paper presents the benchmarking of a finite element computer code and the subsequent results from the code simulating the 30 foot side drop impact of the RPV /NST transport package from the decommissioned Shippingport Nuclear Power Station. The activated reactor pressure vessel (RPV), thermal shield, and other reactor external components were encased in concrete contained by the neutron shield tank (NST) and a lifting skirt . The Shippingport RPV /NST package, a Type B Category IT package, weighs approximately 900 tons and has 17.5 ft. diameter and 40.7 ft. length. For transport of the activated components from Shippingport to the burial site, the Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP) demonstrated that the package can withstand the hypothetical accidents of DOE Order 5480.3 including 10 CFR 71. Mathematical simulations of these accidents can substitute for actual tests if the simulated results satisfy the acceptance criteria. Any such mathematical simulation, including the modeling of the materials, must be bench marked to experiments that duplicate the loading conditions of the tests. Additional confidence in the simulations is justified if the test specimens are configured similar to the package.