Shipment of gas generating spent fuel on the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site
Approximately 2,100 metric tons of unprocessed, irradiated nuclear fuel elements are stored in the two K Basins at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. The basin water contains significant quantities of dissolved nuclear isotopes and radioactive fuel corrosion particles. The condition of the spent fuel elements varies from intact to severely damaged, where the cladding is badly split or has peeled, with substantial fuel missing. The K Basins are located within a few hundred meters of the Columbia River and have leaked twice in the past. One of the highest priorities of the DOE is to remove the spent fuel from the K Basins, stabilize it, and move it to a Canister Storage Building (CSB), built well away from the Columbia River, for long-term storage prior to final disposition at a repository. Transportation of the K Basin spent fuel will occur entirely within the confines of the Hanford Site, which does not have routine public access. Consequently, the transport is onsite, and does not fall under the Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (DOT 1997). DOE Order 460.1 (DOE 1995) enables DOE facilities to develop onsite transportation programs that provide equivalent safety to the Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (DOT 1997). The basis for the Hanford Site onsite transportation program is detailed in HNF-PRO-1 54 (FDH 1998). The Hanford Site onsite transportation program was developed to meet the equivalent safety requirement, be consistent with analogous commercial operations, interface appropriately with facility safety analysis requirements, and utilize a risk-based management approach to ensure effort is applied consistent with the risk. The program focus is on the establishment of defendable safety bases. Authorization to use an onsite transportation system is granted by the approval of the applicable Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (Onsite). The K Basin spent fuel transportation activity is similar, in some respects, to the onsite movement of commercial spent fuel from a reactor pool to a dry storage facility. In the case of the K Basin spent gas generating played a significant role in the safety analysis.
- Research Organization:
- Fluor Daniel Hanford Inc., Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-96RL13200
- OSTI ID:
- 10148373
- Report Number(s):
- HNF-2343-FP; CONF-980507-; ON: DE99050682; BR: EW3130000; TRN: AHC29927%%111
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: PATRAM `98: 12. international conference on packaging and transportation of radioactive material,Paris (France),10-15 May 1998; Other Information: PBD: 4 May 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Hanford`s progress toward dry interim storage of K basin`s spent fuel
Spent Nuclear Fuel [SNF] Project Canister Storage Building [CSB] Final Safety Analysis Report [FSAR] Volume 1 [Section 1-3]