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Investigation of the Effect of Fixed Absorbers on the Reactivity of PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel for Burnup Credit
Investigation of the Effect of Fixed Absorbers on the Reactivity of PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel for Burnup Credit
The effect of fixed absorbers on the reactivity of pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in support of burnup-credit criticality safety analyses is examined. A fuel assembly burned in conjunction with fixed absorbers may have a higher reactivity for a given burnup than an assembly that has not used fixed absorbers. As a result, guidance on burnup credit, issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Spent Fuel Project Office, recommends restricting the use of burnup credit to assemblies that have not used burnable absorbers.
Generic Repository Design Concepts and Thermal Analysis (FY11)
Generic Repository Design Concepts and Thermal Analysis (FY11)
Reference concepts for geologic disposal of used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in
the U.S. are developed, including geologic settings and engineered barriers. Repository thermal
analysis is demonstrated for a range of waste types from projected future, advanced nuclear fuel
cycles. The results show significant differences among geologic media considered (clay/shale,
crystalline rock, salt), and also that waste package size and waste loading must be limited to meet
targeted maximum temperature values.
NRC SFST ISG-8: Burnup Credit in the Criticality Safety Analyses of PWR Spent Fuel in Transportation and Storage Casks
NRC SFST ISG-8: Burnup Credit in the Criticality Safety Analyses of PWR Spent Fuel in Transportation and Storage Casks
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 71, Packaging and Transportation of
Radioactive Material, and 10 CFR Part 72, Licensing Requirements for the Independent
Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level Radioactive Waste, and Reactor-Related Greater
Than Class C Waste, require that spent nuclear fuel (SNF) remain subcritical in transportation
and storage, respectively. Unirradiated reactor fuel has a well-specified nuclide composition
that provides a straightforward and bounding approach to the criticality safety analysis of
Transportation of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Regulatory Issues Resolution
Transportation of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Regulatory Issues Resolution
The U.S. industry’s limited efforts at licensing transportation packages characterized as “highcapacity,”
or containing “high-burnup” (>45 GWd/MTU) commercial spent nuclear fuel
(CSNF), or both, have not been successful considering existing spent-fuel inventories that will
have to be eventually transported. A holistic framework is proposed for resolving several CSNF
transportation issues. The framework considers transportation risks, spent-fuel and cask-design
EPRI Yucca Mountain Total System Performance Assessment Code (IMARC) Version 10
EPRI Yucca Mountain Total System Performance Assessment Code (IMARC) Version 10
Since 1989, EPRI has been conducting independent assessments of the proposed deep geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high level radioactive waste (HLW) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. EPRI pioneered application of the total system performance assessment (TSPA) approach for evaluating performance of geologic repository systems on a probabilistic basis. Along the way, EPRI developed the Integrated Multiple Assumptions and Release Code (IMARC) as its primary analytical tool for TSPA-based evaluations.
International Review Team Report: A Peer Review of the Yucca Mountain IMARC Total System Performance Assessment EPRI Model
International Review Team Report: A Peer Review of the Yucca Mountain IMARC Total System Performance Assessment EPRI Model
Since 1989, EPRI has been conducting independent assessments of the proposed deep geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. EPRI pioneered application of the total system performance assessment (TSPA) approach for evaluating performance of geologic repository systems on a probabilistic basis. Along the way, EPRI developed the Integrated Multiple Assumptions and Release Code (IMARC) as its primary analytical tool for TSPA-based evaluations.
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste: Volume III --Review of National Repository Programs
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste: Volume III --Review of National Repository Programs
The effective termination of the Yucca Mountain program by the U.S. Administration in 2009
has left the U.S. program for management of used fuel and high level radioactive waste (HLW)
in a state of uncertainty. In concert with this major policy reset and in response to the resulting
policy vacuum, the President directed the Energy Secretary to establish the Blue Ribbon
Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (BRC) “…to conduct a comprehensive review of
policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle and to provide recommendations for
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste: Volume I --The U.S. Site Selection Process Prior to the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste: Volume I --The U.S. Site Selection Process Prior to the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act
U.S. efforts to site and construct a deep geologic repository for used fuel and high level radioactive waste (HLW) proceeded in fits and starts over a three decade period from the late 1950s until 1982, when the U.S. Congress enacted the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). This legislation codified a national approach for developing a deep geologic repository. Amendment of the NWPA in 1987 resulted in a number of dramatic changes in direction for the U.S. program, most notably the selection of Yucca Mountain as the only site of the three remaining candidates for continued investigation.
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste: Volume II --U.S. Regulations for Geologic Disposal
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste: Volume II --U.S. Regulations for Geologic Disposal
U.S. efforts to site and construct a deep geologic repository for used fuel and high level
radioactive waste (HLW) proceeded in fits and starts over a three decade period from the late
1950s until 1982, when the U.S. Congress enacted the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). This
legislation codified a national approach for developing a deep geologic repository. Amendment
of the NWPA in 1987 resulted in a number of dramatic changes in direction for the U.S.
program, most notably the selection of Yucca Mountain as the only site of the three remaining
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste: Volume IV - Lessons Learned
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste: Volume IV - Lessons Learned
The effective termination of the Yucca Mountain program by the U.S. Administration in 2009 has further delayed the construction and operation of a permanent disposal facility for used fuel and high level radioactive waste (HLW) in the United States. In concert with this decision, the President directed the Energy Secretary to establish the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future to review and provide recommendations on options for managing used fuel and HLW.
Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation: An Overview
Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation: An Overview
Spent nuclear fuel comprises a fraction of the hazardous materials packages shipped annually in the United States. In fact, at the present time, fewer than 100 packages of spent nuclear fuel are shipped annually. At the onset of spent fuel shipments to the proposed Yucca Mountain, Nevada, repository, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) expects to ship 400 - 500 spent fuel transport casks per year over the life of the facility.
Yucca Mountain Licensing Standard Options for Very Long Time Frames: Technical Bases for the Standard and Compliance Assessments
Yucca Mountain Licensing Standard Options for Very Long Time Frames: Technical Bases for the Standard and Compliance Assessments
In the existing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations governing the spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, the time period of compliance was set at 10,000 years. Recently, a Court ordered that EPA and NRC either revise the regulation on this topic to be "based upon and consistent with" recommendations made by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences, who recommended a time period of compliance out to as long as one million years, or seek congressional relief.
Program on Technology Innovation: Summary of the National Academy of Sciences Report: "Going the Distance?"
Program on Technology Innovation: Summary of the National Academy of Sciences Report: "Going the Distance?"
In May 2003, The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) formed a Committee on Transportation of Radioactive Waste (NAS Committee) to examine the transportation of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) in the United States. The focus of this study was on the transportation of SNF in the United States.
Program on Technology Innovation: Room at the Mountain
Program on Technology Innovation: Room at the Mountain
Projected expansion of nuclear power beyond the year 2014 will result in the need for commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) management options in addition to the currently legislated CSNF storage capacity at the proposed Yucca Mountain geological repository. At present, 70,000 MTHM of storage capacity has been authorized, with a projection that 63,000 MTHM would be used for CSNF. This report extends preliminary analyses of the maximum physical capacity of the Yucca Mountain repository, presented in EPRI report 1013523.
Occupational Risk Consequences of the Department of Energy's Approach to Repository Design, Performance Assessment, and Operation in the Yucca Mountain License Application
Occupational Risk Consequences of the Department of Energy's Approach to Repository Design, Performance Assessment, and Operation in the Yucca Mountain License Application
EPRI has discovered several aspects of the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) proposed design and operation of the Yucca Mountain repository that—if implemented as described in the license application (LA)—could result in unnecessary occupational health and safety risk to workers involved with repository-related activities. This report identifies key DOE conservatisms and focuses on the occupational risk consequences of the DOE's approach to the repository design, performance assessment, and operation.