Analysis of an Aircraft Impact on a Dry Storage Cask of Spent Nuclear Fuel

Nowadays, nuclear power plants can use a dry storage cask (DSC) for the spent nuclear fuel (NSF) on site. It is a reinforced concrete vessel, which has an internal stainless steel cylinder. Its main function is to provide a barrier against radiation, to cool down the spent fuel and to avoid nuclear fission through the internal metallic surface that contains the radioactive material. This vessel has been designed to withstand different conditions such as free fall, penetration, crushing and extreme temperatures. However, there is limited knowledge about the assessment of an aircraft impact on such vessels in the open literature. In this paper, the case of an oblique impact (45° impact angle with respect to the horizontal) of a light aircraft against a dry storage cask was considered. Its structural integrity was evaluated. The containers were considered to be located in an outdoor area. The evaluation was carried out with the commercial ANSYS^® code.