Ball drop test for ensuring annulus gap in TN-RAM/TN-LC

Background:
Based on the radiometry results of TN-RAM conducted as per L&T/TN-RAM/15/GSP
R8, several areas of the cask were found to have a thickness reduction in lead w.r.t
design thickness. The thickness reduction areas as categorized in to three colour
codes in the report 20241/annular/01 R1 depending upon the magnitude of
thickness loss. The pink areas were the ones with greater than 2mm loss, green
ones with 1-2mm, blue ones with <1mm. Close observation of the location of blue
and green zones indicate clear polarization of their existence towards one half of
the cask. Further, it is observed that in the opposite half of the cask, thickness is
greater than design minima, i.e. 146 mm. This leads to the suspicion if the inner
and outer shells were concentric to each other before pouring or not.
Radiometry results:
The radiometry results
Inspection reports:
A dimensional inspection of cask assembly was done prior to lead pouring ( Report:
0200-01/D1/5.1/01 ). In this inspection, the annulus gap was calculated by
measuring the ID of inner shell and OD of outer shell and subtracting the
thicknesses of the shells. However, doing so would not give information about the
actual annulus gap present at that location, instead we end up with the average
annulus gap of two points located 1800 to each other.
Proposed Inspection:
To acquire meaningful information regarding the annulus gap present, there is need
for an inspection technique which physically ensures the gap. It can be achieved in
several ways. One way of doing it would be to make a sphere of diameter exactly
equal to required annulus gap and drop it into the annulus at various orientations.
This will ensure the presence of annular gap at every point along the particular
orientation.

Annulus
Sphere/ball