Dry Storage Demonstration for High-Burnup Spent Nuclear Fuel-Feasibility Study
- BATTELLE (PACIFIC NW LAB)
Initially, casks for dry storage of spent fuel were licensed for assembly-average burnup of about 35 GWd/MTU. Over the last two decades, the discharge burnup of fuel has increased steadily and now exceeds 45 GWd/MTU. With spent fuel burnups approaching the licensing limits (peak rod burnup of 62 GWd/MTU for pressurized water reactor fuel) and some lead test assemblies being burned beyond this limit, a need for a confirmatory dry storage demonstration program was first identified after the publication in May 1999 of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissions (NRC) Interim Staff Guidance 11 (ISG-11). With the publication in July 2002 of the second revision of ISG-11, the desirability for such a program further increased to obtain confirmatory data about the potential changes in cladding mechanical properties induced by dry storage, which would have implications to the transportation, handling, and disposal of high-burnup spent fuel. While dry storage licenses have kept pace with reactor discharge burnups, transportation licenses have not and are considered on a case by case basis. Therefore, this feasibility study was performed to examine the options available for conducting a confirmatory experimental program supporting the dry storage, transportation, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel with burnups well in excess of 45 GWd/MTU.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 15005512
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-14390; AF4530000; TRN: US0305341
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 9 Sep 2003
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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