Preliminary Evaluation of Removing Used Nuclear Fuel from Shutdown Sites

Technical Report · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1186984· OSTI ID:1186984

Maheras, Steven J. ^[1]; Best, Ralph E. ^[1]; Ross, Steven B. ^[1]; Buxton, Kenneth A. ^[1]; England, Jeffery L. ^[2]; McConnell, Paul E. ^[3]; Massaro, Lawrence M. ^[4]; Jensen, Philip J. ^[1]

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1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
2. Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)
3. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
4. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) (United States)

This report presents a preliminary evaluation of removing used nuclear fuel (UNF) from 12 shutdown nuclear power plant sites. At these shutdown sites the nuclear power reactors have been permanently shut down and the sites have been decommissioned or are undergoing decommissioning. The shutdown sites are Maine Yankee, Yankee Rowe, Connecticut Yankee, Humboldt Bay, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Trojan, La Crosse, Zion, Crystal River, Kewaunee, and San Onofre. The evaluation was divided into four components: characterization of the UNF and greater-than-Class C low-level radioactive waste (GTCC waste) inventory; a description of the on-site infrastructure and conditions relevant to transportation of UNF and GTCC waste; an evaluation of the near-site transportation infrastructure and experience relevant to shipping transportation casks containing UNF and GTCC waste, including identification of gaps in information; and, an evaluation of the actions necessary to prepare for and remove UNF and GTCC waste. The primary sources for the inventory of UNF and GTCC waste are the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) RW-859 used nuclear fuel inventory database, industry sources such as StoreFUEL and SpentFUEL, and government sources such as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The primary sources for information on the conditions of site and near-site transportation infrastructure and experience included observations and information collected during visits to the Maine Yankee, Yankee Rowe, Connecticut Yankee, Humboldt Bay, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Trojan, La Crosse, and Zion sites; information provided by managers at the shutdown sites; Facility Interface Data Sheets compiled for DOE in 2005; Services Planning Documents prepared for DOE in 1993 and 1994; industry publications such as Radwaste Solutions; and Google Earth. State and Regional Group representatives, a Tribal representative, and a Federal Railroad Administration representative participated in six of the shutdown site visits. Every site was found to have at least one off-site transportation mode option for removing its UNF and GTCC waste; some have multiple options. Experience removing large components during reactor decommissioning provided an important source of information used to identify the transportation mode options for the sites. Especially important in conducting the evaluation were site visits, through which information was obtained that would not have been available otherwise. Extensive photographs taken during the site visits proved to be particularly useful in documenting the current conditions at or near the sites. Additional conclusions from this evaluation include: The 12 shutdown sites use designs from 4 different suppliers involving 9 different (horizontal and vertical) dry storage systems that would require the use of 8 different transportation cask designs to remove the UNF and GTCC waste from the shutdown sites; Although there are common aspects, each site has some unique features and/or conditions; Although some regulatory actions will be required, all UNF at the initial 9 shutdown sites (Maine Yankee, Yankee Rowe, Connecticut Yankee, Humboldt Bay, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Trojan, La Crosse, and Zion) is in licensed systems that can be transported, including a small amount of high-burnup fuel; Each site indicated that 2-3 years of advance time would be required for its preparations before shipments could begin; Most sites have more than one transportation option, e.g., rail, barge, or heavy haul truck, as well as constraints and preferences. It is expected that additional site visits will be conducted to add to the information presented in the evaluation.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1186984
• Report Number(s): PNNL--22676 Rev.4; AF5865020
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
BARGES
BIG ROCK POINT REACTOR
CONNECTICUT YANKEE REACTOR
CRYSTAL RIVER-3 REACTOR
CRYSTAL RIVER-4 REACTOR
EVALUATION
HUMBOLDT BAY REACTOR
INFORMATION
INVENTORIES
KEWAUNEE REACTOR
LACBWR REACTOR
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MAINE YANKEE REACTOR
NFST
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PLANNING
RAIL TRANSPORT
RANCHO SECO-1 REACTOR
ROWE YANKEE REACTOR
SAN ONOFRE-1 REACTOR
SAN ONOFRE-2 REACTOR
SAN ONOFRE-3 REACTOR
SPENT FUEL CASKS
SPENT FUELS
TRANSPORT
TROJAN REACTOR
TRUCKS
ZION-1 REACTOR
ZION-2 REACTOR
shutdown sites
spent nuclear fuel
used nuclear fuel