Spent fuel behavior in dry storage

Conference · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5366698

Johnson, Jr, A B; Pankaskie, P J; Gilbert, E R

Dry storage is emerging as and attractive and timely alternative to complement wet storage and assist utilities to meet interim storage needs. Spent fuel has been handled and stored under dry conditions, at least for brief periods, almost from the beginning of nuclear reactor operation. Drywell and vault facilities have been used to store certain types of fuel, beginning in 1964. More recently, programs have developed to demonstrate dry storage of irradiated Zircaloy-clad fuel in metal casks, drywells, silos and vaults. Hot cell and laboratory studies also are underway to investigate specific phenomena related to cladding behavior in dry storage. A substantial fraction of the US LWR spent fuel inventory has aged for relatively long times and has relatively low decay heats. This suggests that much of the US fuel inventory can be stored at relatively low temperatures. Alternatively, rod consolidation of the older can be considered without exceeding maximum cladding temperatures.

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5366698
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-10248; CONF-820578-1; ON: DE82014854
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050900* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ALLOYS
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CASKS
CONTAINERS
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
DRY STORAGE
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FUEL CANS
FUELS
HOT CELLS
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FUELS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SPENT FUEL CASKS
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
SPENT FUELS
STORAGE
TIN ALLOYS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM BASE ALLOYS