Session: OAC-04-02 Storage and Transportation of Radioactive and other Hazardous Materials - 2

Paper Number: 106249

106249 - Ageing Management Measures for Transport Packages for Radioactive Materials 

The consideration of ageing mechanisms is with integration into the IAEA-requirements now obligatory for the design of transport packages. For packages intended to be used for shipment after storage the consideration of the effects of ageing mechanisms during storage in safety analyses and the implementation of corresponding instructions for operation and maintenance are required. Therefore, these packages have been maintained during storage in a manner that all requirements specified in the IAEA-requirements and in the applicable certificates of approval have been fulfilled.

 

BAM is the competent authority in Germany for evaluating the thermal and mechanical design of packages for the transport of radioactive materials. In this context, BAM also evaluates the aging mechanisms and aging effects occurring during the long-term storage period of such transport packages. BAM has developed a guideline for the implementation of ageing assessment and of the measures for ageing management into the approval procedure based on IAEA-requirements.

 

The goal of the presented paper is to introduce this guideline and the general approach for ageing management requirements and to describe the application to a specific package design. The type and amount of the ageing management not only depend on the use of the packaging, but also on the accessibility of the components that are considered in the ageing assessment. The different operating phases of a packaging are considered for the ageing assessment, such as loading, interim storage or transport.

 

The implementation of measures for ageing management is divided into three levels – systemic measures, package design related measures and documentation. The systemic measures are attributed to the general management system and define the whole activities for organization of ageing management like structure, responsibilities, documentation, reports and evaluation. The package design related measures are defined in an ageing management plan (AMP). Therefore, an ageing surveillance program (ASP) and, if necessary, a gap analysis program has to be developed. The ageing management documentation (AMD) ensures the continuous documentation of the compliance of a specific package to the approved package design, comprising mainly records resulting from operation and surveillance.

Presenting Author: Steffen Komann Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und prüfung (BAM)

Presenting Author Biography: Studies in civil Engineering with specialisation in engineering mechanics and PhD in the field of stability of light weight steel constructions including material investigations and numerical analyses.

Several years experience in design assessment of transport casks for radioactive materials and licensing of large nuclear power plant component transports, steering for drop tests and numerical analysis at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Berlin, Germany.

Now responsible for the section “Safety assessment of transport casks for radioactive material”.

Authors:

Steffen Komann Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und prüfung (BAM)
Sven Schubert Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Adrian Reichardt Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Lars Müller Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Martin Neumann Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Frank Wille Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)