Thermal Analysis of a H1616-1 Shipping container in Hypothetical Accident conditions

The thermal response of the H1616 transport container is simulated to demonstrate compliance with the Federal regulations for performance during hypothetical accident conditions (HAC). The goal is to show that tests conducted for the certification of the H1616 shipping container provide conservatively high estimates of temperatures at key regions within the container. A one-dimensional computational model is developed to simulate the thermal response of the shipping container in cylindrical coordinates. The model assumes the container is axisymmetric and allows for variable thermal properties. The model is calibrated using temperature data obtained from two experimental thermal tests and is then used to evaluate the thermal response of the shipping container to several different scenarios that meet or exceed the Federal regulations. A pre-heating technique, which is used to simulate the thermal effects of a radioactive heat source within the container, is also evaluated