Dynamic Impact Analysis of a Type A Fissile Package Consisting of Thin Gage Mild Carbon Steel Components Arranged for High Energy Absorption

摘要

The Savannah River Site (SRS) has a need to transport Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) within site boundaries. A Type A fissile package design similar to the General Electric (GE) RA-3 and the Westinghouse PATRIOT packages has been selected for these shipments. This package design involves the use of light gage steel shapes, oriented to absorb energy from deformation and friction bearing contact surfaces, in between a thin gage mild carbon steel inner and outer shell. The RA-3 and the PATRIOT~2 were both qualified by testing rather than analysis. To validate the SRS specific design, an advanced ABAQUS model of the package has been created to subject the package to dynamic impact analyses. The model was created to demonstrate the level of protection of the fuel assemblies and evaluate the impact absorbing capabilities of the package design concept.