Elastic/Plastic Drop Analysis Using Finite Element Techniques

A Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) can, which is called the High Integrity Can (HIC), is being designed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Its intended use is to contain SNF sent to the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). INTEC will then do the final work with the HIC to send it to the repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for long-term storage. One portion of the analysis, which was required for the HIC, was accidental drop scenarios. This consisted of 19 simulated drops from a height of 30-feet with impact on a flat rigid surface. Elastic/plastic analyses were performed for the simulated drops. Additionally, two elastic/plastic analyses were performed for drops from a height of 17-feet with impact on a rigid surface having a narrow raised portion across its center. The purpose of the analyses was to determine if any breach occurred which opened a crack wider than 0.05-inches from these drop scenarios. Also some plastic deformations were needed from certain drop scenarios to support the Criticality Safety documentation. The analytical results for the simulated drop scenarios showed that, though the seal in the lid may be broken, no 0.05-inch breach occurred. Also, the deformations for Criticality Safety documentation were calculated and show on the applicable output plots