Drop Tests of a Cubic DCI Container for Radioactive Wastes

Packagings for non-heat-generating radioactive wastes to be disposed of in the planned repository in the F.R.G. - the former \"Konrad\" iron ore mine - must fulfill defined requirements to ensure safety in operation and in case of incidents (Bundesamt fUr Strahlenschutz, 1991). For a certain category of packagings with a higher level of radioactive inventory - the so-called waste container class II - a drop from a height of 3 m in the transfer/buffer hall and a drop from a height of 5 m in an emplacement room inside the repository had been assumed in the safety analyses (Illi, 1987; Berget al., 1987). Although the safety analyses including the accident analyses are not yet confirmed by the state authority and their experts, conservative test requirements had been established to start immediately with the waste package design qualification (Mertens et al., 1990). Design eval uation and testing will be performed by BAM Berlin. The tests described in this paper, had been carried out by BAM on the basis of a contract with the local competent authority for the radioactive waste interim storage at Gorleben, the Safety Inspectorate LUneburg. The design evaluation procedure in the future will be based on a contract between BAM and the Bundesamt fUr Strahlenschutz, Salzgitter (Federal Office for Radiation Protection), which is the institution responsible for the repository construction and operation in Germany. GNS, Essen, is charged by the industry for waste conditioning, including the construction of the waste packagings.