Category of Content
Siting Experience Documents Only
Publication Date
Subject Matter
Country
Keywords
Application of Sensitivity/Uncertainty Methods to Burnup Credit Criticality Validation
Application of Sensitivity/Uncertainty Methods to Burnup Credit Criticality Validation
Evaluation of the French Haut Taux de Combustion (HTC) Critical Experiment Data
Evaluation of the French Haut Taux de Combustion (HTC) Critical Experiment Data
In the 1980s, a series of critical experiments referred to as the Haut Taux de Combustion (HTC)
experiments was conducted by the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) at the
experimental criticality facility in Valduc, France. The plutonium-to- uranium ratio and the isotopic
compositions of both the uranium and plutonium used in the simulated fuel rods were designed to be
similar to what would be found in a typical pressurized-water reactor fuel assembly that initially had an
Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation: An Examination of Potential Lessons Learned from Prior Shipping Campaigns
Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation: An Examination of Potential Lessons Learned from Prior Shipping Campaigns
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), as amended, assigned the Department of
Energy (DOE) responsibility for developing and managing a Federal system for the disposal of
spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). The Office of Civilian
Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is responsible for accepting, transporting, and
disposing of SNF and HLW at the Yucca Mountain repository (if licensed) in a manner that
protects public health, safety, and the environment; enhances national and energy security; and
Waste Package Probabilistic Criticality Analysis: Summary Report of Evaluations in 1997
Waste Package Probabilistic Criticality Analysis: Summary Report of Evaluations in 1997
The emplacement of nuclear waste in the proposed geologic repository must satisfy relevant regulatory requirements with respect to criticality, 10CFR60. I31 (h) (Ref. 25). The waste packages for the various waste forms will be designed to preclude criticality (typically by the inclusion of neutron absorbers) even if the waste package becomes filled with water. Criticality may, however, be possible if the contents of the waste package become degraded in such a way that the fissile material can be separated from the neutron absorbers, while sufficient moderator is retained.
External Criticality Risk of Immobilized Plutonium Waste Form in a Geologic Repository
External Criticality Risk of Immobilized Plutonium Waste Form in a Geologic Repository
This technical report provides an updated summary of the waste package (WP) external criticalityrelated
risk of the plutonium disposition ceramic waste form, which is being developed and
evaluated by the Office of Fissile Materials Disposition of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The ceramic waste form consists of Pu immobilized in ceramic disks, which would be embedded
in High-Level Waste (HLW) glass in the HLW glass disposal canisters, known as the "can-incanister"
NRC Waste Confidence Positions
NRC Waste Confidence Positions
In response to the remand of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (Minnesota v. NRC, 602 F.2d 412 (1979)), and as a continuation of previous proceedings conducted in this area by NRC (44 Fed. Reg. 61,372), the Commission initiated a generic rulemaking proceeding on October 25, 1979.
THE REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT AND THE CONGRESS BY THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY ON THE NEED FOR A SECOND REPOSITORY
THE REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT AND THE CONGRESS BY THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY ON THE NEED FOR A SECOND REPOSITORY
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA), establishes a process for the siting, construction and operation of one or more national repositories for permanent disposal of the Nation’s spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). In 1987, after the Department of Energy (the Department or DOE) had conducted studies of nine potential repository sites located throughout the United States, Congress amended the NWPA and selected the Yucca Mountain site in Nye County, Nevada as the only site for further study for the first national repository.
Evaluation of Cross-Section Sensitivities in Computing Burnup Credit Fission Product Concentrations
Evaluation of Cross-Section Sensitivities in Computing Burnup Credit Fission Product Concentrations
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Interim Staff Guidance 8 (ISG-8) for burnup credit covers actinides only, a position based primarily on the lack of definitive critical experiments and adequate radiochemical assay data that can be used to quantify the uncertainty associated with fission product credit.
Dry Transfer Facility Criticality Safety Calculations
Dry Transfer Facility Criticality Safety Calculations
This design calculation updates the previous criticality evaluation for the fuel handling, transfer, and staging operations to be performed in the Dry Transfer Facility (DTF) including the remediation area. The purpose of the calculation is to demonstrate that operations performed in the DTF and RF meet the nuclear criticality safety design criteria specified in the Project Design Criteria (PDC) Document (BSC 2004 [DIRS 171599], Section 4.9.2.2), the nuclear facility safety requirement in Project Requirements Document (Canori and Leitner 2003 [DIRS 166275], p.
Preclosure Consequence Analyses
Preclosure Consequence Analyses
The purpose of this calculation is to demonstrate that the preclosure performance objectives specified in 10 CFR 63.111(a) and 10 CFR 63.111(b) (Reference 2.2.1) have been met for the proposed design and operations in the geologic repository operations area (GROA) during normal operations and Category 1 event sequences, and following Category 2 event sequences. Category 1 event sequences are those natural and human-induced event sequences that are expected to occur one or more times before permanent closure of the repository.
Evaluation of Waste Stream Receipt Scenarios for Repository Loading
Evaluation of Waste Stream Receipt Scenarios for Repository Loading
The purpose of this calculation is to simulate the processing of an incoming waste stream into waste packages, simulating the required aging as applicable, and the emplacement of the waste packages into the Yucca Mountain repository.
slides - Observations on Key Storage and Transport Technical Issues
slides - Observations on Key Storage and Transport Technical Issues
Presented at the NEI Used Fuel Management Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, May 7-9, 2013
Draft Report for Comment: Identification and Prioritization of the Technical Information Needs Affecting Potential Regulation of Extended Storage and Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Draft Report for Comment: Identification and Prioritization of the Technical Information Needs Affecting Potential Regulation of Extended Storage and Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel
he U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulates storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from commercial nuclear power plants. An increasing amount of the SNF in storage is in dry storage systems, mostly at current and decommissioned plants. As directed by the Commission (in SRM-COMSECY-10-0007; December 6, 2010), in expectation of continued use of dry storage for extended periods of time, the NRC staff is examining the technical needs and potential changes to the regulatory framework that may be needed to continue licensing of SNF storage over periods beyond 120 years.
Background Paper on Commingling of Defense and Commercial Waste
Background Paper on Commingling of Defense and Commercial Waste
Since a 1985 decision by President Reagan that a separate permanent repository for disposal of
defense high level waste was not required1, DOE has planned for disposal of all high-level waste
and spent fuel from national defense activities and DOE’s own research activities in a repository
for commercial waste developed under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). The Commission
has heard recommendations from some commenters2 that this decision be revisited, or even
Cladding Degradation Summary for LA
Cladding Degradation Summary for LA
The purpose of this analysis report is to develop the summary cladding degradation abstraction that will be used in the Total System Performance Assessment for the License Application (TSPA-LA). Most civilian commercial nuclear fuel is encased in Zircaloy cladding. The analysis addressed in this report is intended to describe the postulated condition of commercial Zircaloy-clad fuel as a function of postclosure time after it is placed in the repository.
Reactor Record Uncertainty Determination
Reactor Record Uncertainty Determination
The objective of this calculation is to evaluate commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) bumup uncertainty based on pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) records kept by each utility. The bumup uncertainties will be used to adjust either the waste package loading curves or the bumup values of assemblies shipped to the repository.
This engineering calculation supports the burnup credit methodology in Reference 1 and is performed in accordance with the AREVAIFANP procedures in References 2 and 3.
Soil-Related Input Parameters for the Biosphere Model
Soil-Related Input Parameters for the Biosphere Model
This report presents one of the analyses that support the Environmental Radiation Model for Yucca Mountain Nevada (ERMYN), referred to in this report as the biosphere model. Biosphere Model Report (BSC 2004 [DIRS 169460]) describes the details of the conceptual and mathematical biosphere models and the required input parameters. The biosphere model is one of a series of process models supporting the postclosure total system performance assessment (TSPA) for the Yucca Mountain repository.
Calibrated Unsaturated Zone Properties
Calibrated Unsaturated Zone Properties
The purpose of this report is to document the calibrated property sets for unsaturated zone (UZ) flow and transport process models (UZ models). The calibration of the property sets is performed through inverse modeling using a previously validated model. This work followed, and was planned in Technical Work Plan for: Unsaturated Zone Flow, Drift Seepage and Unsaturated Zone Transport Modeling (BSC 2006 [DIRS 177465], Sections 1 and 2.1.2).
Study of the Effect of Integral Burnable Absorbers for PWR Burnup Credit
Study of the Effect of Integral Burnable Absorbers for PWR Burnup Credit
The Interim Staff 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. This restriction eliminates a large portion of the currently discharged spent fuel assemblies from cask loading, and thus severely limits the practical usefulness of burnup credit.
EQ6 calculations for Chemical Degradation of Navy Waste Packages
EQ6 calculations for Chemical Degradation of Navy Waste Packages
The Monitored Geologic Repository Waste Package Operations of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management & Operating Contractor (CRWMS M&O) performed calculations to provide input for disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Navy (Refs. 1 and , 2). The Navy SNF has been considered for disposal at the potential Yucca Mountain site. For some waste packages, the containment may breach (Ref. 3), allowing the influx of water. Water in the waste package may moderate neutrons, increasing the likelihood of a criticality event within the waste package.
Distribution of Characteristics of LWR Spent Fuel
Distribution of Characteristics of LWR Spent Fuel
The Materials Characterization Center (MCC) at Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has the responsibility to select appropriate spent fuel Approved Testing Materials (ATMs) and to characterize, via hot-cell studies, certain detailed properties of the discharged fuel. The purpose of this report isto develop a collective description of the entire spent fuel inventory in terms of various fuel properties relevant to ATMs using information available from the Characteristics Data Base (CDB), which is sponsored by the U.S.
Foreign Research Reactor West Coast Shipment Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation - Institutional Program External Lessons Learned
Foreign Research Reactor West Coast Shipment Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation - Institutional Program External Lessons Learned
The purpose of the Foreign Research Reactor (FRR) Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Shipments Institutional Program was to meet the goals and commitments of the Implementation Strategy Plan for the FRR SNF Shipments. This program provided a systematic approach to planning, implementing, evaluating, and validating preparedness for the first west coast shipment of SNF from Asian countries to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL).
Waste Package Filler Material Testing Report
Waste Package Filler Material Testing Report
As part of the Mined Geologic Disposal System Waste Package Development design activities, it has been determined that it may be beneficial to add material to fill the otherwise free spaces remaining in waste package after loading high-level nuclear waste. The use of filler material will benefit criticality control in spent nuclear fuel waste packages, by the moderator displacement method.
Analysis of Experimental Data for High Burnup PWR Spent Fuel Isotopic Validation--ARIANE and REBUS Programs (UO2 Fuel)
Analysis of Experimental Data for High Burnup PWR Spent Fuel Isotopic Validation--ARIANE and REBUS Programs (UO2 Fuel)
This report is part of a report series designed to document benchmark-quality radiochemical assay data
against which computer code predictions of isotopic composition for spent nuclear fuel can be validated
to establish the uncertainty and bias associated with the code predictions. The experimental data analyzed
in the present report were acquired from two international programs: (1) ARIANE and (2) REBUS, both
coordinated by Belgonucleaire. All measurements include extensive actinide and fission product data of