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Legal Analysis of Commission Recommendations for Near-Term Actions
Legal Analysis of Commission Recommendations for Near-Term Actions
At the request of the staff to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (“BRC”), we have reviewed whether certain recommendations in the BRC’s July 29, 2011 Draft Report respecting near-term actions by the Department of Energy (“DOE”) or other officers or agencies in the Executive Branch can be implemented under existing law. These recommendations relate to:
(1) Initial steps to site, license and construct consolidated interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel (“spent fuel”);
Co-Chair Letter to Sec. Chu
Co-Chair Letter to Sec. Chu
Dear Secretary Chu:
At the direction of the President, you charged the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s
Nuclear Future with reviewing policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel
cycle and recommending a new plan. We thank you for choosing us to serve as Co-
Chairmen of the Commission and for selecting the talented and dedicated set of
Commissioners with whom we serve.
We have sought to ensure that our review is comprehensive, open and inclusive. The
Commission and its subcommittees have heard from hundreds of individuals and
BRC Co-Chair Letter to The Honorable Fred Upton, Chairman, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and The Honorable John Shimkus, Chairman, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy
BRC Co-Chair Letter to The Honorable Fred Upton, Chairman, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and The Honorable John Shimkus, Chairman, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy
Dear Representatives Upton and Shimkus,
At the direction of the President, the Secretary of Energy established the Blue Ribbon
Commission on America’s Nuclear Future and charged it with reviewing policies for
managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. We are serving as the Co-Chairmen of
the Commission and have taken note of your recent comments about the Commission’s
work.
Your comments echo those we have heard from several members of Congress and from
people across the country who believe the United States should not abandon the
Effects of the Presence of Axial Blankets and Integral Burnable Absorbers on the End Effect of PWR Burnup Profiles
Effects of the Presence of Axial Blankets and Integral Burnable Absorbers on the End Effect of PWR Burnup Profiles
Limited Burnup Credit for Increased Fuel Enrichments in a Swiss PWR Storage Pool
Limited Burnup Credit for Increased Fuel Enrichments in a Swiss PWR Storage Pool
Research Supporting Implementation of Burnup Credit in Transport and Storage Casks
Research Supporting Implementation of Burnup Credit in Transport and Storage Casks
Comparison of Computational Estimations of Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in PWR Burnup Credit
Comparison of Computational Estimations of Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in PWR Burnup Credit
Impact of Integral Burnable Absorbers on PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses
Impact of Integral Burnable Absorbers on PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses
Parametric Study of Control Rod Exposure for PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses
Parametric Study of Control Rod Exposure for PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses
Spent Fuel Criticality Benchmark Experiments
Spent Fuel Criticality Benchmark Experiments
The Burn-Up Credit Experimental Programme REBUS
The Burn-Up Credit Experimental Programme REBUS
Addressing the Axial Burnup Distribution in PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety
Addressing the Axial Burnup Distribution in PWR Burnup Credit Criticality Safety
Reactivity End-Effects Estimates Using a K Perturbation Model
Reactivity End-Effects Estimates Using a K Perturbation Model
Criticality Safety Evaluation of Fuel Storage Pools in Spain
Criticality Safety Evaluation of Fuel Storage Pools in Spain
A Validated Methodology for Evaluating Burnup Credit in Spent Fuel Casks
A Validated Methodology for Evaluating Burnup Credit in Spent Fuel Casks
Uncertainties in Criticality Analysis Which Affect the Storage and Transportation of LWR Fuel
Uncertainties in Criticality Analysis Which Affect the Storage and Transportation of LWR Fuel
Generic Reactivity Equivalence of PWR Fuel in Spent Fuel Storage Racks
Generic Reactivity Equivalence of PWR Fuel in Spent Fuel Storage Racks
Conservative Axial Burnup Distributions for Actinide-Only Burnup Credit
Conservative Axial Burnup Distributions for Actinide-Only Burnup Credit
Research to Support Expansion of U.S. Regulatory Position on Burnup Credit for Transport and Storage Casks
Research to Support Expansion of U.S. Regulatory Position on Burnup Credit for Transport and Storage Casks
In 1999, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC) initiated a research program
to support the development of technical bases and guidance that would facilitate the implementation of burnup
credit into licensing activities for transport and dry cask storage. This paper reviews the following major areas of
investigation: (1) specification of axial burnup profiles, (2) assumption on cooling time, (3) allowance for
assemblies with fixed and removable neutron absorbers, (4) the need for a burnup margin for fuel with initial
HTC Experimental Program: Validation and Calculational Analysis
HTC Experimental Program: Validation and Calculational Analysis
In the 1980s a series of the Haut Taux de Combustion (HTC) critical experiments with fuel pins in a water-moderated lattice was conducted at the Apparatus B experimental facility in Valduc (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France) with the support of the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire and AREVA NC. Four series of experiments were designed to assess profit associated with actinide-only burnup credit in the criticality safety evaluation for fuel handling, pool storage, and spent-fuel cask conditions.
Validation Issues for Depletion and Criticality Analysis in Burnup Credit
Validation Issues for Depletion and Criticality Analysis in Burnup Credit
This paper reviews validation issues associated with implementation of burnup credit in transport, dry storage,
and disposal. The issues discussed are ones that have been identified by one or more constituents of the
United States technical community (national laboratories, licensees, and regulators) that have been exploring the
use of burnup credit. There is not necessarily agreement on the importance of the various issues, which
sometimes is what creates the issue. The broad issues relate to the paucity of available experimental data