Criticality Consideration for Geologic Disposal of DOE-Owned Spent Nuclear Fuels - 20255

Conference · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2020

OSTI ID:23030450

Alsaed, Abdelhalim ^[1]; Carlsen, Brett; Thomas, Daniel; Jarrell, Joshua ^[2]

---

1. Enviro Nuclear Services, 3595 S. Town Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89135 (United States)
2. Idaho National Laboratory, 2525 Fremont Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402 (United States)

Decisions must be made relative to packaging spent nuclear fuel (SNF) for storage, transportation, and eventual disposal. This paper evaluates potential criticality-related loading and packaging considerations for Department of Energy (DOE)-owned SNF that could be impacted favorably or unfavorably by disposal uncertainties and proposes approaches to minimize such impacts. Using Al-Based SNF as an example and drawing on analyses performed in support of the Yucca Mountain Repository License Application (LA), this paper explores the role of natural barriers, engineered barriers, and waste form characteristics relative to reducing the potential for postclosure criticality. Several parameters important to postclosure criticality are considered in order to determine which are useful discriminators to support packaging decisions. Using these parameters, a qualitative assessment is performed relative to three options for managing DOE-owned SNFs. (authors)

• Research Organization: WM Symposia, Inc., PO Box 27646, 85285-7646 Tempe, AZ (United States)
• OSTI ID: 23030450
• Report Number(s): INIS-US--21-WM-20255
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CRITICALITY
DISCRIMINATORS
PACKAGING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
SPENT FUELS
WASTE FORMS
YUCCA MOUNTAIN