Researching the Effects of Long-Term Dry Storage on Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel
When the fuel in a nuclear reactor no longer contributes efficiently to power production, it is discharged and stored onsite in a water-filled spent fuel pool. When nuclear power plants in the United States were originally designed, it was expected that onsite storage would be temporary. The used nuclear fuel, also known as spent nuclear fuel (SNF), was to be removed from the storage pools after only a few years of cooling and sent for reprocessing. However, commercial reprocessing was not implemented in the United States, and utility spent fuel pools began running out of room. In order to continue power production, nuclear utilities began expanding onsite fuel storage capacities, first by increasing the density of fuel in the fuel pool racks, and then by developing and implementing dry storage casks. The dry storage casks are stored onsite by each utility at a licensed and secured independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI). Dry storage casks are robust systems typically consisting of a sealed metal cylinder surrounded by a combination of steel and concrete to provide radiation shielding. The first dry storage casks were loaded with SNF in 1986. Currently there are over 3,000 loaded dry storage casks, and approximately 200 new casks are being placed into service annually at operating nuclear power plants nationwide. Multiple nuclear power plant sites in the United States have shut down and completed decommissioning activities except for the removal of fuel in dry storage. Eventually, the 75,000+ tons of discharged SNF at more than 70 secured locations will need to be safely and securely transported to a new location(s) for eventual disposition. The continued safety and security of this material must be assured.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 1651396
- Journal Information:
- ASQ - Energy and Environmental Division Newsletter, Vol. 3, Issue 4; ISSN 9999-0044
- Publisher:
- American Society for Quality (ASQ)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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