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Opinion: Rep. John Shimkus in the Chicago Tribune: Yucca Mountain is the Fastest, Best, and Most Viable Solution
Opinion: Rep. John Shimkus in the Chicago Tribune: Yucca Mountain is the Fastest, Best, and Most Viable Solution
Our country faces a mounting challenge when it comes to nuclear energy: the safe, long-term disposal of spent fuel from commercial reactors and leftover waste from defense activity. It's a challenge with a decades-long history.
Managing the Nation's Commercial High-Level Radioactive Waste
Managing the Nation's Commercial High-Level Radioactive Waste
With the passage of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), Congress for the first time established in law a comprehensive Federal policy for commercial high-level radioactive waste management, including interim storage and permanent disposal. NWPA provides sufficient authority for
developing and operating a high-level radioactive waste management system based on disposal in mined geologic repositories. Authorization
Computational Benchmark for Estimated Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in BWR Burnup Credit
Computational Benchmark for Estimated Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in BWR Burnup Credit
This report proposes and documents a computational benchmark for the estimation of the
additional reactivity margin available in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from fission products and minor
actinides in a burnup-credit storage/transport environment, relative to SNF compositions
containing only the major actinides. The benchmark problem/configuration is a generic burnupcredit
cask designed to hold 68 boiling water reactor (BWR) spent nuclear fuel assemblies. The
purpose of this computational benchmark is to provide a reference configuration for the
Review and Prioritization of Technical Issues Related to Burnup Credit for BWR Fuel
Review and Prioritization of Technical Issues Related to Burnup Credit for BWR Fuel
This report has been prepared to support technical discussion of and planning for future
research supporting implementation of burnup credit for boiling-water reactor (BWR) spent fuel
storage in spent fuel pools and storage and transport cask applications. The review and
discussion in this report are based on knowledge and experience gained from work performed
in the United States and other countries, including experience with burnup credit for
pressurized-water reactor (PWR) spent fuel. Relevant physics and analysis phenomena are
Transportation and Storage Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission - Updated Report
Transportation and Storage Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission - Updated Report
To organize its investigation of whether changes are needed in the nation’s current approach to storing and eventually transporting spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level waste (HLW), the Subcommittee began by asking a series of related questions:
• What role should storage play in an integrated U.S. waste management system and strategy in the future?
Options for Developing Public and Stakeholder Engagement for the Storage and Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and High Lievel Waste (HLW) in the United States
Options for Developing Public and Stakeholder Engagement for the Storage and Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and High Lievel Waste (HLW) in the United States
This report puts forth a number of options and recommendations for how to engage
stakeholders and other members of the public in the storage and management of spent
nuclear fuel and high level waste in the United States. The options are generated from a
scientific review of existing publications proposing criteria for assessing past efforts to
engage publics and stakeholders in decision-making about risky technologies. A set of
nine principles are derived for evaluating cases of public and stakeholder engagement with
Benchmarks for Quantifying Fuel Reactivity Depletion Uncertainty
Benchmarks for Quantifying Fuel Reactivity Depletion Uncertainty
Analytical methods, described in this report, are used to
systematically determine experimental fuel sub-batch
reactivities as a function of burnup. Fuel sub-batch reactivities
are inferred using more than 600 in-core pressurized water
reactor (PWR) flux maps taken during 44 cycles of operation
at the Catawba and McGuire nuclear power plants. The
analytical methods systematically search for fuel sub-batch
reactivities that minimize differences between measured and
computed reaction rates, using Studsvik Scandpower’s
Utilization of the EPRI Depletion Benchmarks for Burnup Credit Validation
Utilization of the EPRI Depletion Benchmarks for Burnup Credit Validation
Pressurized water reactor (PWR) burnup credit validation is
demonstrated using the benchmarks for quantifying fuel reactivity
decrements, published as Benchmarks for Quantifying Fuel Reactivity
Depletion Uncertainty, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
report 1022909. This demonstration uses the depletion module
TRITON (Transport Rigor Implemented with Time-Dependent
Operation for Neutronic Depletion) available in the SCALE 6.1
(Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluations) code
Feasibility of Direct Disposal of Dual-Purpose Canisters-Options for Assuring Criticality Control
Feasibility of Direct Disposal of Dual-Purpose Canisters-Options for Assuring Criticality Control
The concept of direct disposal of dual-purpose canisters (DPCs) has not been previously considered
for the Yucca Mountain geologic repository because of concerns, among other reasons,
about degradation of the reactivity-control material over the relatively long period of the repository
analyses. Aluminum-based neutron absorber materials, typically used in DPCs, are not
expected to have sufficient corrosion resistance necessary to retain their integrity over a 10,000+
Burnup Credit — Contribution to the Analysis of the Yankee Rowe Radiochemical Assays
Burnup Credit — Contribution to the Analysis of the Yankee Rowe Radiochemical Assays
This report presents a methodology for validation of the isotopic
contents of spent light water reactor fuel for actinide-only burnup
credit with additional high-quality radiochemistry assay (RCA) data
obtained from the Yankee Rowe pressurized water reactor. The
additional Yankee Rowe RCA data were not included in previous
isotopic validation studies for burnup credit due to the difficulty of
accurately modeling the complex Yankee Rowe fuel assembly design
using the SAS2H one-dimensional sequence of the earlier SCALE
Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis of Commercial Reactor Criticals for Burnup Credit
Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis of Commercial Reactor Criticals for Burnup Credit
This paper provides insights into the neutronic similarities between a representative high-capacity rail-transport cask containing typical pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel assemblies and critical reactor state-points, referred to as commercial reactor critical (CRC) state-points. Forty CRC state-points from five PWRs were analyzed, and the characteristics of CRC state-points that may be applicable for validation of burnup-credit criticality safety calculations for spent fuel transport/storage/disposal systems were identified.
Review of Yucca mountain Disposal Criticality Studies
Review of Yucca mountain Disposal Criticality Studies
Burn-up Credit Criticality Safety Benchmark - Phase VII, UO2 Fuel: Study of Spent Fuel Compositions for Long-term Disposal
Burn-up Credit Criticality Safety Benchmark - Phase VII, UO2 Fuel: Study of Spent Fuel Compositions for Long-term Disposal
Review of Results for the OECD/NEA Phase VII Benchmark: Study of Spent Fuel Compositions for Long-Term Disposal
Review of Results for the OECD/NEA Phase VII Benchmark: Study of Spent Fuel Compositions for Long-Term Disposal
Analysis of Experimental Data for High Burnup PWR Spent Fuel Isotopic Validation--Calvert Cliffs, Takahama, and Three Mile Island Reactors
Analysis of Experimental Data for High Burnup PWR Spent Fuel Isotopic Validation--Calvert Cliffs, Takahama, and Three Mile Island Reactors
This report is part of a report series designed to document benchmark-quality radiochemical isotopic
assay data against which computer code accuracy can be quantified to establish the uncertainty and bias
associated with the code predictions. The experimental data included in the report series were acquired
from domestic and international programs and include spent fuel samples that cover a large burnup range.
The measurements analyzed in the current report, for which experimental data is publicly available,
Options for Developing Public and Stakeholder Engagement for the Storage and Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and High Level Waste (HLW) in the United States
Options for Developing Public and Stakeholder Engagement for the Storage and Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and High Level Waste (HLW) in the United States
This report puts forth a number of options and recommendations for how to engage
stakeholders and other members of the public in the storage and management of spent
nuclear fuel and high level waste in the United States. The options are generated from a
scientific review of existing publications proposing criteria for assessing past efforts to
engage publics and stakeholders in decision-making about risky technologies. A set of
nine principles are derived for evaluating cases of public and stakeholder engagement with
Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel - I: Methodology Overview
Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel - I: Methodology Overview
A conservative methodology is presented that would allow taking credit for burnup in the criticality safety analysis of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) packages. The method is based on the assumption that the isotopic concentration in the SNF and cross sections of each isotope for which credit is taken must be supported by validation experiments. The method allows credit for the changes in the 234U, 235U, 236U, 238U, 238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu, 242Pu, and 241Am concentration with burnup. No credit for fission product neutron absorbers is taken. The methodology consists of five major steps:
Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel - III: Bounding Treatment of Spatial Burnup Distributions
Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel - III: Bounding Treatment of Spatial Burnup Distributions
A flat, uniform axial burnup assumption, preferred for its computational simplicity, does not always conservatively estimate the pressurized water reactor spent-fuel-cask multiplication factors. Rather, the reactivity effect of the significantly underburned fuel ends, usually referred to as the "end effect," can be properly treated by explicit modeling of the axial burnup distribution based on limiting axial burnup profiles.
Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel - II: Validation
Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel - II: Validation
The calculation of isotopic concentrations in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies and the subcritical multiplication factor of SNF packages are two of the essential requirements of the actinide-only burnup credit methodology. To justify the accuracy of the computed values, the code systems used to perform the calculations must be validated. Here, the techniques used for actinide-only burnup credit isotopic and criticality validation are presented and demonstrated.
A Critical Review of the Practice of Equating the Reactivity of Spent Fuel to Fresh Fuel in Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses for PWR Spent Fuel Pool Storage
A Critical Review of the Practice of Equating the Reactivity of Spent Fuel to Fresh Fuel in Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses for PWR Spent Fuel Pool Storage
This research examines the practice of equating the reactivity of spent fuel to that of fresh fuel for the purpose of performing burnup credit criticality safety analyses for PWR spent fuel pool (SFP) storage conditions. The investigation consists of comparing kf estimates based on reactivity "equivalent" fresh fuel enrichment (REFFE) to kl estimates using the actual spent fuel isotopics.