FABRICATION & TESTING OF THE TN-FSV TRANSPORT CASK

Transnuclear has designed, tested, licensed and supplied two Type B(U)F packages designated the TN-FSV transport casks. These legal weight casks were specifically developed for the transport of canistered High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) spent fuel. The spent fuel is from the Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Plant and presently stored in canisters at the Public Service of Colorado (PSC) ISFSI. These casks were licensed in June 1994 by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and delivered to PSC in June 1995. The cask is a right circular cylinder, fabricated from lead and stainless steel with a maximum loaded weight of 25 US tons (22.7 tonne), including wood-filled impact limiters attached at both ends of the cylindrical body. The TN-FSV is designed to accommodate a payload consisting of a fully loaded fuel storage canister containing the Fort St. Vrain fuel. The fabrication sequence and functionaVacceptance testing of the casks are discussed below. To assure that the TN-FSV meets all regulatory requirements, Transnuclear designed and implemented a comprehensive test program to complement the design and certification analyses. Static and dynamic testing were performed on one-half scale models of the impact limiters. Details of the testing are presented in this paper.