Considering the domestic situation where all nuclear power plants are located on seaside, the interim storage site is also likely to be located on coastal site. Maritime transportation is inevitable and the its risk assessment is very important for safety. Currently, there is no independently developed maritime transportation risk assessment code in Korea, and no research has been conducted to evaluate the release of radioactive waste due to the immersion of transport cask. Previous studies show that the release rate of radionuclides contained in a submerged transport cask is significantly affected by the area of flow path generated at the breached containment boundary. Due to the robustness of a cask, the breach is the most likely generated between the lid and body of cask. CRIEPI investigated the effect of cask containment on the release rate of radioactive contents into the ocean and proposed a procedure to calculate the release rate considering the socalled barrier effect. However, the contribution of O-ring on the release rate was not considered in the work. In this study, test and analysis is performed to determine the equivalent flow path gap considering the influence of O-rings. These results will be implemented in the computational model to assess sea water flow through a breached containment boundary using CFD techniques to assess radionuclide release rates. To evaluate the release rate as a function of lid displacement, a small containment vessel is engineered and a metal O-ring of the Helicoflex HN type is installed, which is the most commonly used one in transport and storage casks. The lid of containment vessel is displaced in vertical and horizontal direction and the release rate of the vessel was quantified using the helium leak test and the pressure drop test. Through this work, the relationship between the vertical opening displacement and horizontal sliding displacement of the cask lid and the actual flow path area created is established. This will be implemented in the CFD model for flow rate calculation from a submerged transport cask in the deep sea. In addition, the compression of the O-ring causes very small gaps, such as capillaries. In these cases, Poiseuille’s law is used to calculate the capillary flow rate.

In the event of a loss of a SNF (spent nuclear fuel) transport cask during maritime transportation, it is essential to evaluate the critical depth at which the integrity of the cask can be maintained under high water pressure. SNF transport casks are classified as Type B containers and the integrity of of the containment boundary must be maintained up to a depth of 200 meters unless the containment boundary was breached under beyond-design basis accidents. However, if an intact SNF cask is lost at a depth deeper than 200-meter, release of radioactive material may occur due to breach of containment boundary with over-pressure. In this study, we developed a code for the evaluation of the pressure limit of SNF transport cask, which can be evaluated by inputting the main dimensions and loading conditions of cask. The evaluation model was coded as a computer module for ease of use. In the previous study, models with three different fidelities were developed to ensure the reliability of the calculation and maintain sufficient flexibility to deal with various input conditions. Those three models consisted of a high-fidelity model that provided the most realistic response, a low-fidelity model with parameterized simplified geometry, and a mathematical model based on the shell theory. The maximum stress evaluation of the three models confirmed that the mathematical model provides the most conservative results than the other two models. The previous results demonstrate that mathematical models can be used in the code of computer modules. In this study, additional models of transport cask were created using parametric modeling techniques to improve the accuracy of the pressure limit assessment code for different cask and situations. The same boundary conditions and loading conditions were imposed as in the previous simplified model, and the maximum stress results considering the change in the shape of the transport container were derived and compared with the mathematical model. The comparison results showed that the mathematical model had more conservative values than the simplified model even under various input conditions. Accordingly, we applied the mathematical model to develop a transportation container pressure limit evaluation code that can be simulated in various situations such as shape change and various situations.

In case a spent nuclear fuel transport cask is lost in the sea due to an accident during maritime transport, it is necessary to evaluate the critical depth by which the pressure resistance of the cask is maintained. A licensed type B package should maintain the integrity of containment boundary under water up to 200 m of depth. However, if the cask is damaged during accidents of severity excessing those of design basis accidents, or it is submerged in a sea deeper than 200 m, detailed analyses should be performed to evaluated the condition of the cask and possible scenarios for the release of radioactive contents contained in the cask. In this work, models to evaluate pressure resistance of an undamaged cask in the deep sea are developed and coded into a computer module. To ensure the reliability of the models and to maintain enough flexibility to account for a variety of input conditions, models in three different fidelities are utilized. A very sophisticated finite element analysis model is constructed to provide accurate response of containment boundary against external pressure. A simplified finite element model which can be easily generated with parameters derived from the dimensions and material properties of the cask. Lastly, mathematical formulas based on the shell theory are utilized to evaluate the stress and strain of cask body, lid and the bolts. The models in mathematical formula will be coded into computer model once they show good agreement with the other two model with much higher fidelity. The evaluation of the cask was largely divided into the lid, body, and bottom, bolts of the cask. It was confirmed that the internal stress of the cask was increased in accordance with the hydrostatic pressure. In particular, the lid and bottom have a circular plate shape and showed a similar deformation pattern with deflection at the center. The maximum stress occurred where the lid was in the center and the bottom was in contact with the body. Because the body was simplified and evaluated as a cylinder, only simple compression without torsion and bending was observed. The maximum stress occurred in the tangential direction from the inner side of the cylinder. The bolt connecting the lid and the body was subjected to both bending and tension at the same time, and the maximum stress was evaluated considering both tension and bending loads. In general, the results calculated by the formulas were evaluated to have higher maximum stresses than the analysis results of the simplified model. The results of the maximum stress evaluation in this study confirms that the mathematical models provide conservative results than the finite element models and can be used in the computer module.