IMPACT, PUNCTURE AND THERMAL TESTING OF TRUPACT-1

IMPACT, PUNCTURE AND THERMAL TESTING OF TRUPACT-1. The Transuranic Package Transporter (TRUPACT-1) is a packaging developed by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) for transporting contact-handled transuranic waste (CH-TRU) in the USA. A full scale prototype was built and subjected to a series of drop, puncture and thermal tests to evaluate the package's resistance to normal handling and hypothetical accident conditions. A thermal redesign and component test programme was conducted when the prototype failed to maintain containment after the thermal test. A thermal test particle which included previously incurred structural damage was tested to demonstrate the adequacy of the new design features in an open pool-fire environment. Since no detectable leaks were measured from the filter seals and valves and the seal leak rate was less than the maximum allowable, containment was demonstrated.