Investigation of the condition of spent-fuel pool components

Technical Report · Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5915832· OSTI ID:5915832

Kustas, F M; Bates, S O; Opitz, B E; Johnson, Jr, A B; Perez, Jr, J M; Farnsworth, R K

It is currently projected that spent nuclear fuel, which is discharged from the reactor and then stored in water pools, may remain in those pools for several decades. Other studies have addressed the expected integrity of the spent fuel during extended water storage; this study assesses the integrity of metallic spent fuel pool components. Results from metallurgical examinations of specimens taken from stainless steel and aluminum components exposed in spent fuel pools are presented. Licensee Event Reports (LERs) relating to problems with spent fuel components were assessed and are summarized to define the types of operational problems that have occurred. The major conclusions of this study are: aluminum and stainless steel spent fuel pool components have a good history of performance in both deionized and borated water pools. Although some operational problems involving pool components have occurred, these problems have had minimal impacts.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5915832
• Report Number(s): PNL-3513; ON: DE82002084; TRN: 82-000145
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM
MICROSTRUCTURE
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
FUEL POOLS
STAINLESS STEELS
BORIC ACID
BWR TYPE REACTORS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FUEL RACKS
METALLOGRAPHY
PWR TYPE REACTORS
SPENT FUEL CASKS
WATER
ALLOYS
CASKS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CONTAINERS
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DATA
ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INORGANIC ACIDS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
METALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
REACTORS
STEELS
STORAGE
SUPPORTS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
050900* - Nuclear Fuels- Transport
Handling
& Storage
360102 - Metals & Alloys- Structure & Phase Studies