Containment Systems for Dangerous Goods

Our competence

The department is engaged in ensuring and improving the safety of containment systems used for the transport and storage of dangerous goods including the technology used in transport and storage processes. Being part of the Federal administration, BAM is the competent authority in this field.

Our fields of activity

Pressure resistant adjustable test rig for the investigation of the inner thermal durability of tanks for dangerous goods

Field of activities performed by the department are related to technical aspects in public safety. The department is responsible for creating the required conditions which facilitate safe and environmentally acceptable handling of containment systems for dangerous goods. Amongst others, this task centres on aspects relating to protection of public safety and health, real assets and the environment from risks which may arise during the operation or the contact with technical products, plants and systems for the transportation and storage of dangerous goods.

Testing, analysis and approval

• of packagings, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and large packagings for dangerous goods
• tank containers and storage tanks, pressure vessels and service equipment
• transport and storage containers for radioactive materials (RAM)

Surveillance work dealing with the quality of packaging, storage tanks, pressure vessels (including service equipment and transport and storage containers for radioactive materials (RAM).

Research and development

• concerning the state of the art in dangerous goods safety design
• pressure vessel design
• development of safety concepts and risk assessments

Consultation and information

• the Federal Government as well as national and international committees related to the development of dangerous goods regulations
• industry and enforcement authorities, e. g. by providing information on dangerous goods and other functions

Test equipment

Facilities for testing of packaging, pressure vessels (including service equipment), containers, transport and storage tanks as well as transport packages and containers for the intermediate and final storage of radioactive materials, including measurement, analysis and observation techniques.

• Drop test facilities with drop heights of up to 30 m (impact areas with up to 10 m x 4.5 m and impact masses of up to 200 t)
• Test stand (diameter 2 m, volume 22.5 m³) for testing explosion-proof characteristics
• Open-air test facility for burst tests
• Test facilities for open-air fire tests (test areas with up to 6 m x 13 m, heat generation > 75 kW/m²)
• Conditioning chambers (temperature and moisture controlled) for packagings; heating and refrigeration facilities
• Stacking test facilities (stacking loads of up to 35 t, stacking area 1 m x 2 m)
• Facilities for leak proof and hydraulic pressure testing
• Facilities to determine the mechanical properties of fibreboard (corrugated board)
• Pendulum impact testing facility to simulate the dynamic impact and collision loads of tank containers
• Impulse testing stand for testing the fatigue resistance of pressure vessels (test pressure up to 1200 bar at -60° C to +97° C, length 4000 mm, diameter 800 mm)
• Hard and software equipment for the structural analysis of containers, e. g. Finite Element Method (ABAQUS, ANSYS, LS-DYNA)
• Examination facilities for the inspection of service equipment, of pressure vessels and tanks

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