ENSA/DOE Transport Shock and Vibration Test Plan

The objective of the shock and vibration testing program is to quantify mechanical loads on fuel assembly components that would occur during normal conditions of transportation (NCT) of various modes. This information will guide materials research and establish a technical basis for review organizations such as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A significant body of experimental and numerical modeling data exists to quantify loads and failure limits applicable to NCT rail transport, but the data are either out-of-date relative to present day railroad operations and equipment, or are based on assumptions that can only be verified through experimental testing. The summary presented herein represents a collaboration among many stakeholders to define the path for acquiring new data that is needed to validate the assumptions of previous work, validate modelling methods that will be needed to evaluate the mechanical responses of irradiated fuel that will be transported in the future in large rail casks, and inform material test campaigns on the anticipated range of stresses that will be imposed on nuclear fuel cladding. This work will include full scale testing of a Used Nuclear Fuel Cask, Cradle, Rail Car, and Surrogate Fuel Assemblies and will encompass intermodal transloading, heavy-haul truck transport, barge transport, ocean going vessel transport, and rail transport as well as captive track tests. The ultimate goal of this testing will be to close some of the existing knowledge gaps related to the mechanical loads that would be imposed on used fuel under NCT conditions transportation and inform the experiments and analysis. This work is sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy, Used Fuel Disposition Campaign (UFDC). The mission of the UFDC is to identify alternatives and conduct scientific research and technology development to enable storage, transportation, and disposal of used nuclear fuel (UNF) and wastes generated by existing and future nuclear fuel cycles. The Storage and Transportation staff members within the UFDC are responsible for addressing issues regarding the extended or long-term storage of UNF and its subsequent transportation.