Optimization of cask for transport of radioactive material under impact loading

•Cost and weight are important criteria for fabrication and transportation of cask used for transportation of radioactive material.•Reduction of cask cost by modifying few cask geometry parameters using complex search method.•Maximum von Mises stress generated and deformation after impact as design constraints.•Up to 6.9% reduction in cost and 4.6% reduction in weight observed in the examples used.

Casks used for transporting radioactive material need to be certified fit by subjecting them to a specific set of tests (IAEA, 2012). The high cost of these casks gives rise to the need for optimizing them. Conducting actual experiments for the process of design iterations is very costly. This work outlines a procedure for optimizing Type B(U) casks through simulations of the 9 m drop test conducted in ABAQUS®. Standard designs and material properties were chosen, thus making the process as realistic as reasonable even at the cost of reducing the options (design variables) available for optimization. The results, repeated for different source cavity sizes, show a scope for 6.9% reduction in cost and 4.6% reduction in weight over currently used casks.