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Effects of Residual Water on Storage Canister Internal Components

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1676415· OSTI ID:1676415
 [1];  [1]
  1. Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

This report describes an evaluation of the spent nuclear fuel cladding and canister internal materials’ corrosion/oxidation due to (inadvertent) residual free water inside a dry storage canister post-dryout. Drying of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and the impact of (inadvertent) residual water in a SNF canister is being addressed under the DOE-NE Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) program to ensure the safe extended dry storage and transportation of commercial SNF. A long-standing understanding has been that the amount of residual water in a storage canister after vacuum drying is not expected to be much more than trace amounts of 0.43 gram mole. However, recent findings from the High Burnup Demonstration project, and an Integrated Research Project show that residual free water well above the amount of approximately 0.43 gm-moles that had been assumed for a 3 torr rebound pressure, may remain within an SNF canister following prototypic drying. In fact, an NRC-NMSS sponsored study considered residual water amount as high as 55 moles. Considering the recent findings and the NRC-sponsored work, this present work was conducted to study the effects of unspecified amount of residual water on oxidation and corrosion of canister internals, i.e., it was assumed that the residual water amount is not limiting. It was assumed that the spent nuclear fuel content in the canister is not exposed to the internal environment, i.e., the packaged canister does not contain any damaged (breached) fuel.

Research Organization:
Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Savannah River National Lab (SRNL), Aiken, SC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; EM; USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
DOE Contract Number:
AC09-08SR22470
OSTI ID:
1676415
Report Number(s):
SRNL-STI--2020-00428
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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