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U.S. Department of Energy
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Overview of Effects of Burnup Credit on Cask Design

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7026655
 [1]
  1. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

A number of opportunities exist to increase the productivity of the next generation of spent fuel shipping casks. One of the opportunities being evaluated by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Cask System Development Program at Idaho is the implementation of burnup credit in the design of spent fuel casks. Burnup credit is defined as accounting for the effects of fuel burnup in the criticality safety analysis of a cask. Burnup is fissile nuclide reduction and fission and activation product buildup, that result in reduced reactivity of fuel after it has been used for producing power in a nuclear reactor. An important step in implementing burnup credit is to establish an understanding as to how burnup credit affects cask design. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the effects of burnup credit on spent fuel cask design. This will be accomplished by addressing the following questions: What functions does a cask perform. How does burnup credit potentially affect a cask. How does burnup credit affect basket design. What design or functional requirements are likely to be affected by burnup credit.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
7026655
Report Number(s):
SAND-88-2760C; CONF-881169-2; TTC-0851; ON: TI89001667
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English