Effects of Burnable Absorbers on PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel

Technical Report · Mon Aug 21 04:00:00 EDT 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/840691· OSTI ID:840691

O'Leary, P M; Pitts, M L

Burnup credit is an ongoing issue in designing and licensing transportation and storage casks for spent nuclear fuel (SNF). To address this issue, in July 1999, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Spent Fuel Project Office, issued Interim Staff Guidance-8 (ISG-8), Revision 1 allowing limited burnup credit for pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) to be used in transport and storage casks. However, one of the key limitations for a licensing basis analysis as stipulated in ISG-8, Revision 1 is that ''burnup credit is restricted to intact fuel assemblies that have not used burnable absorbers''. Because many PWR fuel designs have incorporated burnable-absorber rods for more than twenty years, this restriction places an unnecessary burden on the commercial nuclear power industry. This paper summarizes the effects of in-reactor irradiation on the isotopic inventory of PWR fuels containing different types of integral burnable absorbers (BAs). The work presented is illustrative and intended to represent typical magnitudes of the reactivity effects from depleting PWR fuel with different types of burnable absorbers.

• Research Organization: Yucca Mountain Project, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 840691
• Report Number(s): NA; MOL.20000921.0215, DC#26423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
BURNUP
CASKS
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
IRRADIATION
LICENSING
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR POWER
PWR TYPE REACTORS
SPENT FUELS
STORAGE
TRANSPORT