A rail tank car filled with liquefied gas was heated next to a CASTOR® cask until the internal pressure of the gas caused the tank container to burst and the gas to subsequently explode. After the powerful explosion, large debris from the RTC and the CASTOR® THTR/AVR cask standing next to it were thrown through the air. BAM's investigation report states, "The consequences of the explosion did not lead to any impairment of the safety functions of the CASTOR® cask, although they did affect the container in an extremely unfavorable manner."
Test conditions:
CASTOR® THTR/AVR with double lid system, without shock absorbers and without protective plate.
Mass of the cask: 22,450 kg
RTC: volume 35 m³, filled with liquid propane gas (10 m³)
Fire hearth by fuel oil
Test procedure:
Heating of the RTC and the CASTOR® container by a fuel oil fire.
Explosion of the RTC approx. 17 min. after ignition of the fire at an overpressure of 25 bar and at a temperature of 550° C at the RTC wall
Explosion of propane gas:
The tank hurled about 7 m through the air and then hit the ground
Individual pieces of debris hurled from the explosion site approximately 200 m away
