Structural Integrity of Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Casks Subjected to Drop

An experimental cask drop program initiated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and conducted by AEA Technology under contract to British Nuclear Fuels, Inc., is evaluated and compared with analytical techniques. The dropped cask was a full-scale storage cask. Targets included the International Atomic Energy Agency’s “unyielding” surface and a specially constructed concrete pad representative of those in use at actual spent-fuel storage installations. Drop heights were 45.7, 101.6, and 152.4 cm.