Engineering-scale tests were performed to evaluate the relative effectiveness of forced gas and vacuum-drying processes on aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF) in preparation for extended dry storage. Drying models were developed to improve confidence in the likely range of conditions at the start of dry storage and to understand the factors most significant to each process. Testing was performed at the Holtec International Forced Helium Dehydration training facility in Camden, New Jersey, by students from the University of South Carolina in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory.

Climate targets set by the EU, including the reduction of CO2, are leading to the increased use of lightweight materials for mass production such as press hardening steels. Besides sheet metal forming for high-strength components, tubular or profile forming (Hot Metal Gas Forming—HMGF) allows for designs that are more complex in combination with a lower weight. This paper particularly examines the application of conductive heating of the component for the combined press hardening process. The previous Finite-Element-Method (FEM)-supported design of an industry-oriented, curved component geometry allows the development of forming tools and process peripherals with a high degree of reliability. This work comprises a description regarding the functionality of the tools and the heating strategy for the curved component as well as the measurement technology used to investigate the heat distribution in the component during the conduction process. Subsequently, forming tests are carried out, material characterization is performed by hardness measurements in relevant areas of the component, and the FEM simulation is validated by comparing the resulting sheet thickness distribution to the experimental one.

Safety, lightweight design, and reduction of emissions are terms which are key issues in modern vehicle construction. These challenges can be met by new lightweight design strategies, e.g., by using lightweight materials and high-strength steels as well as innovative forming technologies such as media based press hardening (MBPH). MBPH as a sub-production technique of hydroforming is a tempered internal high-pressure forming process of closed profiles, which this article is about, or sheet metals by gaseous media. Due to the high process requirements (internal pressure up to 70 MPa and temperatures up to 1000 °C), it has not been possible to measure the temperature curve of the active medium in a reliable way until now. The aim of the research project described in this article was to develop an innovative measuring instrument to determine the gas temperature curve with a measuring frequency of at least 1 Hz. Analytical and numerical calculations have indicated that the active medium has a significant influence on the thermodynamic of the forming process. The finite element analysis (FEA) of the heat flow during the forming process has indicated that the influence of the gas on the cooling process of the work piece is about 15% of the total influence of the tool. Consequently, the active medium in media based press hardening processes is an important thermal influencing factor. Experiments have confirmed that it is possible to determine the calculated curve of the gas temperature and maximum temperatures of the active media up to 500 °C. The findings of these studies make a significant contribution to identifying and analyzing the complete temperature balance in tempered active media based forming processes.

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