Modal study - Technical approach

This paper describes the technical approach used in the Modal Study performed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to evaluate the level of safety provided during the shipment of spent fuel from nuclear power reactors. The evaluation is performed by calculating the responses of representative spent fuel casks to severe highway and railway accidents and the hypothetical accident conditions specified in 10 CFR 71. By comparing the responses it was determined that most of highway and railway accident conditions fall within the hypothetical accident conditions. For those accidents that have higher responses, the probabilities and potential radioactive exposures of the accidents are compared with those identified by the assessments made in NUREG-0170