Spent fuel sabotage test program, characterization of aerosol dispersal : interim final report.

Technical Report · Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/934855· OSTI ID:934855

Gregson, Michael Warren; Brockmann, John E; Loiseau, Olivier ^[1]; Klennert, Lindsay A; Nolte, Oliver ^[2]; Molecke, Martin Alan; Autrusson, Bruno A ^[1]; Koch, Wolfgang ^[2]; Pretzsch, Gunter Guido ^[3]; Brucher, Wenzel ^[3]; Steyskal, Michele D

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1. Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, France
2. Fraunhofer Institut fur Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin, Germany
3. Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany

This multinational, multi-phase spent fuel sabotage test program is quantifying the aerosol particles produced when the products of a high energy density device (HEDD) interact with and explosively particulate test rodlets that contain pellets of either surrogate materials or actual spent fuel. This program provides source-term data that are relevant to plausible sabotage scenarios in relation to spent fuel transport and storage casks and associated risk assessments. We present details and significant results obtained from this program from 2001 through 2007. Measured aerosol results include: respirable fractions produced; amounts, nuclide content, and produced particle size distributions and morphology; measurements of volatile fission product species enhanced sorption--enrichment factors onto respirable particles; and, status on determination of the spent fuel ratio, SFR, needed for scaling studies. Emphasis is provided on recent Phase 3 tests using depleted uranium oxide pellets plus non-radioactive fission product dopants in surrogate spent fuel test rodlets, plus the latest surrogate cerium oxide results and aerosol laboratory supporting calibration work. The DUO{sub 2}, CeO{sub 2}, plus fission product dopant aerosol particle results are compared with available historical data. We also provide a status review on continuing preparations for the final Phase 4 in this program, tests using individual short rodlets containing actual spent fuel from U.S. PWR reactors, with both high- and lower-burnup fuel. The source-term data, aerosol results, and program design have been tailored to support and guide follow-on computer modeling of aerosol dispersal hazards and radiological consequence assessments. This spent fuel sabotage, aerosol test program was performed primarily at Sandia National Laboratories, with support provided by both the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This program has significant input from, and is cooperatively supported and coordinated by both the U.S. and international program participants in Germany, France, and others, as part of the International Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks (WGSTSC).

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 934855
• Report Number(s): SAND2007-8070; TRN: US0804100
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
AEROSOLS
CALIBRATION
CASKS
CERIUM OXIDES
COMPUTERS
DEPLETED URANIUM
ENERGY DENSITY
FISSION PRODUCTS
ISOTOPES
MORPHOLOGY
OXIDES
PARTICLE SIZE
PARTICULATES
PELLETS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SABOTAGE
SPENT FUELS
STORAGE
TRANSPORT
Spent fuel storage.
Aerosols
Radioactive-Measurement.
Sabotage.
Aerosols-Measurement.