Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposition

doi:10.1036/1097-8542.643550

Title: Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposition

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One interdisciplinary field devoted to achieving the end-state of used nuclear fuel (UNF) through reuse and/or permanent disposal. The reuse option aims to make use of the remaining energy content in UNF and reduce the amount of long-lived radioactive materials that require permanent disposal. The planned approach in the U.S., as well as in many other countries worldwide, is direct permanent disposal in a deep geologic repository. Used nuclear fuel is fuel that has been irradiated in a nuclear reactor to the point where it is no longer capable of sustaining operational objectives. The vast majority (by mass) of UNF is from electricity generation in commercial nuclear power reactors. Furthermore, the other main source of UNF in the U.S. is the Department of Energy’s (DOE) and other federal agencies’ operation of reactors in support of federal government missions, such as materials production, nuclear propulsion, research, testing, and training. Upon discharge from a reactor, UNF emits considerable heat from radioactive decay. Some period of active on-site cooling (e.g., 2 or more years) is typically required to facilitate efficient packaging and transportation to a disposition facility. Hence, the field of UNF disposition broadly includes storage, transportation and ultimate disposition. See also: Nuclearmore »

Authors:

Wagner, John C. ^[1]

Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Publication Date:: 2016-05-22

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-16-38726
Journal ID: ISSN 2469-5610

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: AccessScience

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Name: AccessScience; Journal ID: ISSN 2469-5610

Publisher:: McGraw-Hill Education

Research Org:: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; geologic disposal; radioactive waste; spent nuclear fuel; storage; transportation

OSTI Identifier:: 1367866


                    Wagner, John C. Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposition.  United States: N. p.,  
        Web.  doi:10.1036/1097-8542.643550.

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                    Wagner, John C. Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposition.  United States.  doi:10.1036/1097-8542.643550.

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                    Wagner, John C. 2016.  
        "Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposition".  United States.  
        doi:10.1036/1097-8542.643550.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1367866.

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@article{osti_1367866,

  title        = {Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposition},

  author       = {Wagner, John C.},

  abstractNote = {One interdisciplinary field devoted to achieving the end-state of used nuclear fuel (UNF) through reuse and/or permanent disposal. The reuse option aims to make use of the remaining energy content in UNF and reduce the amount of long-lived radioactive materials that require permanent disposal. The planned approach in the U.S., as well as in many other countries worldwide, is direct permanent disposal in a deep geologic repository. Used nuclear fuel is fuel that has been irradiated in a nuclear reactor to the point where it is no longer capable of sustaining operational objectives. The vast majority (by mass) of UNF is from electricity generation in commercial nuclear power reactors. Furthermore, the other main source of UNF in the U.S. is the Department of Energy’s (DOE) and other federal agencies’ operation of reactors in support of federal government missions, such as materials production, nuclear propulsion, research, testing, and training. Upon discharge from a reactor, UNF emits considerable heat from radioactive decay. Some period of active on-site cooling (e.g., 2 or more years) is typically required to facilitate efficient packaging and transportation to a disposition facility. Hence, the field of UNF disposition broadly includes storage, transportation and ultimate disposition. See also: Nuclear Fission (content/nuclear-fission/458400), Nuclear Fuels (/content/nuclear-fuels/458600), Nuclear Fuel Cycle (/content/nuclear-fuel-cycle/458500), Nuclear Fuels Reprocessing (/content/nuclear-fuels-reprocessing/458700), Nuclear Power (/content/nuclear-power/459600), Nuclear Reactor (/content/nuclear-reactor/460100), Radiation (/content/radiation/566300), and Radioactive Waste Management (/content/radioactive-waste-management/568900).},

  doi          = {10.1036/1097-8542.643550},

  journal      = {AccessScience},

  number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2016},

  month        = {5}

}

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Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
Accepted Manuscript (DOE)
Publisher's Version of Record
10.1036/1097-8542.643550
https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.643550

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Title: Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposition

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