In this study, a fracture evaluation of the spent nuclear fuel storage canister was conducted. Stainless steel alloys are typically used as the material for canisters, and therefore, a separate destructive evaluation is not required for safety analysis reports. However, in this research, a methodology for conducting a destructive evaluation was proposed for assessing the acceptability of cracks detected during in-service inspections for long-term storage due to reasons such as stress corrosion cracking. For the fracture evaluation, analytical equations provided in the design code such ASME were employed, and finite element method (FEM) based linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) was performed to validate the effectiveness of the analytical equations. Impact analyses such as tip-over of the storage cask on a concrete pad were performed, and the fracture evaluation using stresses resulting from the impact analysis under accident conditions and residual stresses from welds were carried out. Through this research, geometric dimensions for cracks exceeding the fracture criteria were established.

• Jongmin Lim(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)) Corresponding author
• Sang Soon Cho(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI))