Inherent Criticality Safety Margins in Spent Fuel Transportation Casks

Conference · Sun Nov 26 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:5584712

Boshoven, Jack K. ^[1]; Su, Shiaw-Der ^[1]

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1. General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)

Criticality safety margins are inherent in spent fuel transportation casks, as accompanied by fuel burnup. Fuel burnup basically provides built-in poison for criticality control as a result of the depletion of fissile material and buildup of fission product absorbers. This paper illustrates the extent of the safety margin as a function of fuel burnup and its sensitivity to initial ²³⁵U enrichment for spent fuel in the GA-4 transportation cask, which is being developed to carry four fuel assemblies from pressurized water reactor (PWR) plant. The basis and method used in determining the safety margins is also presented.

• Research Organization: General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-88ID12698
• OSTI ID: 5584712
• Report Number(s): GA-A-19701; CONF-891103-12; EGG-M-89305; ON: DE89014851; TRN: 89-029155
• Resource Relation: Conference: ANS Winter Meeting, International Topical Meeting on Safety Margins in Criticality Safety, San Francisco, CA (United States), 26-30 Nov 1989
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
SPENT FUEL CASKS
SAFETY
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
BURNUP
BORON
CRITICALITY
DESIGN
ENRICHMENT
FISSILE MATERIALS
NEUTRON ABSORBERS
TRANSPORT
CASKS
CONTAINERS
ELEMENTS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUEL ELEMENTS
MATERIALS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
SEMIMETALS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Fuel Burnup
Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) Plant
Fuel Assemblies
GA-4 Transportation Cask
Fissile Material
SCALE System
KENO-V.a Module
Fuel Rods
050900* - Nuclear Fuels- Transport
Handling
& Storage