DROP TESTING AT THE OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Two full-scale packages designed to carry radioactive materials were drop tested at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The unique aspects of the tests are described. The first drop test series involved the 22 700 kg (SO 000 lb) TRUPACT package. Because of the substantial thickness of foam insulation in the walls and the thin, outer steel shell, the rigging of the pack· age for the series of seven drops was carefully designed not to cause damage to the package during the testing. Each impact had the potential to change the position of the waste containers inside the TRUPACT package. As a result, the centre of gra~ity (e.g.) of the package was deter· mined between drops. The rigging was adjusted to ensure that the e.g. was in the proper loca· tion for the subsequent tests. Following the drop, the TRUPACT package was transferred to Sandia National Laboratories for further tests and evaluations. In the second series of tests, a full-size steel canister, constructed to transport spent Three Mile Island fuel, was dropped. These tests were designed to subject the package to the same shock environment it would experience if the cask carrying a similar canister were subjected to a 9 m drop as specified in the regulations. Energy absorbers were designed to provide the proper decelerations. One unique aspect of the tests involved the surrogate fuel, located inside the canister, which was frozen to ensure that the poison rods inside the canister would be subjected to a severe shock load. The package survived the tests as predicted.