Thermal Analysis of a H1616 Shipping Container - prod.sandia.gov ...

attributed to the fact that solar insolation effects are present only during the later portion of
the thermal test when the flange temperature has already reached its maximum. As in the
cooling temperature scenarios, the C9 thermal test provided a conservatively high estimate
of the maximum flange temperature. A final simulation was also conducted using the worst
possible conditions. Here a 120 W/m 2 internal heat source was used with cooling in a
120 ◦ F environment under a solar flux of 300 W/m 2 . Again the C9 thermal test provided a
conservative measure of the maximum flange temperature.
The previous analysis indicates that the maximum flange temperature determined in the
C9 thermal test on pre-heated empty shipping containers is greater than the temperature
expected for filled containers with an internal heat source. Additionally, the analysis showed
that the C9 thermal tests, as performed, overpredicts the maximum flange temperature
reached in a number of different scenarios that meet or exceed Federal regulations. The
flange temperature served as a measure of the temperature reached by the O-ring which
is the most temperature sensitive part of the shipping container. The extent to which the
C9 thermal test overpredicted the maximum flange temperature decreased with time. The
speed at which this process occurred depended on the thermal boundary conditions present.
It was also determined that the flange temperature is most sensitive to the heat generated
by the foam fire, a phenomena that is taken into account in a crude but effective manner
in this analysis.
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