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Computational Benchmark for Estimation of Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in PWR Burnup Credit
Computational Benchmark for Estimation of Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in PWR Burnup Credit
This report proposes and documents a computational benchmark problem for the estimation of the additional reactivity margin available in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from fission products and minor actinides in a burnupcredit storage/transport environment, relative to SNF compositions containing only the major actinides. The benchmark problemlconfiguration is a generic burnup credit cask designed to hold 32 pressurized water reactor (PWR) assemblies.
Neutronics Benchmark for the Quad Cities-1 (Cycle 2) Mixed-Oxide Assembly Irradiation
Neutronics Benchmark for the Quad Cities-1 (Cycle 2) Mixed-Oxide Assembly Irradiation
Reactor physics computer programs are important tools that will be-used to estimate mixed oxide
fuel (MOX) physics performance in support of weapons grade plutonium disposition in U.S. and
Russian Federation reactors. Many of the computer programs used today have not undergone
calculational comparisons to measured data obtained during reactor operation. Pin power, the
buildup of transuranics, and depletion of gadolinium measurements were conducted (under Electric
Power Research Institute sponsorship) on uranium and MOX pins irradiated in the Quad Cities-l
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
Principle Isotope Burnup Credit Loading Curve for the 21 PWR Waste Package
Principle Isotope Burnup Credit Loading Curve for the 21 PWR Waste Package
The purpose of this calculation is to determine the required minimum burnup as a function of initial pressurized water reactor (PWR) assembly enrichment that would permit loading of fuel into the 21 PWR waste package (WP), as provided for in QAP-2-0 Activity Evaluation, Perform Criticality, Thermal, Structural, & Shielding Analyses (Reference 7.1).
Limited Burnup Credit in Criticality Safety Analysis: A Comparison of ISG-8 and Current International Practice
Limited Burnup Credit in Criticality Safety Analysis: A Comparison of ISG-8 and Current International Practice
This report has been prepared to qualitatively assess the amount of burnup credit (reactivity margin) provided by ISG-8 compared to that provided by the burnup credit methodology developed and currently applied in France. For the purposes of this study, the methods proposed in the DOE Topical Report have been applied to the ISG-8 framework since this methodology (or one similar to it) is likely to form the basis of initial cask licensing applications employing limited burnup credit in the United States.
Recommendations on the Credit for Cooling Time in PWR Burnup Credit Analyses
Recommendations on the Credit for Cooling Time in PWR Burnup Credit Analyses
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's guidance on burnup credit for pressurized-water-reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) recommends that analyses be based on a cooling time of five years. This recommendation eliminates assemblies with shorter cooling times from cask loading and limits the allowable credit for reactivity reduction associated with cooling time. This report examines reactivity behavior as a function of cooling time to assess the possibility of expanding the current cooling time recommendation for SNF storage and transportation.
An Approach for Validating Actinide and Fission Product Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses-Criticality (keff) Predictions
An Approach for Validating Actinide and Fission Product Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses-Criticality (keff) Predictions
Taking credit for the reduced reactivity of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in criticality analyses is referred to as burnup credit (BUC). Criticality safety evaluations require validation of the computational methods with critical experiments that are as similar as possible to the safety analysis models, and for which the keff values are known. This poses a challenge for validation of BUC criticality analyses, as critical experiments with actinide and fission product (FP)
CSNF Loading Curve Sensitivity Analysis
CSNF Loading Curve Sensitivity Analysis
The purpose of this scientific analysis report, CSNF Loading Curve Sensitivity Analysis, is to establish the required minimum burnup as a function of initial enrichment for both pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) that would allow permanent disposal of these waste forms in the geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. The relationship between the required minimum burnup and fuel assembly initial enrichment forms a loading curve.
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
SAS2H Generated Isotopic Concentrations for B&W 15xl5 PWR Assembly (SCPB: N/A)
SAS2H Generated Isotopic Concentrations for B&W 15xl5 PWR Assembly (SCPB: N/A)
This analysis is prepared by the Mined Geologic Disposal System (MGDS) Waste Package Development Department (WPDD) to provide pressurized water reactor (PWR) isotopic composition data as a function of time for use in criticality analyses. The objectives of this evaluation are to generate burnup and decay dependant isotopic inventories and to provide these inventories in a form which can easily be utilized in subsequent criticality calculations.
Spent Fuel Project Office, Interim Staff Guidance - 8, Revision 1, Burnup Credit in the Criticality Safety Analyses of PWR Spent Fuel in Transport and Storage Casks
Spent Fuel Project Office, Interim Staff Guidance - 8, Revision 1, Burnup Credit in the Criticality Safety Analyses of PWR Spent Fuel in Transport and Storage Casks
Spent Fuel Project Office, Interim Staff Guidance - 8, Revision 1
SCALE-4 Analysis of Pressurized Water Reactor Critical Configurations: Volume 1-Summary
SCALE-4 Analysis of Pressurized Water Reactor Critical Configurations: Volume 1-Summary
The requirements of ANSI/ANS 8.1 specify that calculational methods for away-from-reactor
criticality safety analyses be validated against experimental measurements. If credit is to be taken for
the reduced reactivity of burned or spent fuel relative to its original $fresh# composition, it is
necessary to benchmark computational methods used in determining such reactivity worth against
spent fuel reactivity measurements. This report summarizes a portion of the ongoing effort to
OECD/NEA Burnup Credit Criticality Benchmarks Phase IIIB: Burnup Calculations of BWR Fuel Assemblies for Storage and Transport
OECD/NEA Burnup Credit Criticality Benchmarks Phase IIIB: Burnup Calculations of BWR Fuel Assemblies for Storage and Transport
The report describes the final results of the Phase IIIB Benchmark conducted by the
Expert Group on Burnup Credit Criticality Safety under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy
Agency (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The Benchmark was intended to compare the predictability of current computer code and
data library combinations for the atomic number densities of an irradiated BWR fuel
assembly model. The fuel assembly was irradiated under specific power of 25.6 MW/tHM
Evaluation of Measured LWR Spent Fuel Composition Data for Use in Code Validation End-User Manual
Evaluation of Measured LWR Spent Fuel Composition Data for Use in Code Validation End-User Manual
Burnup credit (BUC) is a concept applied in the criticality safety analysis of spent nuclear fuel
in which credit or partial credit is taken for the reduced reactivity worth of the fuel due to both fissile
depletion and the buildup of actinides and fission products that act as net neutron absorbers.
Typically, a two-step process is applied in BUC analysis: first, depletion calculations are performed
to estimate the isotopic content of spent fuel based on its burnup history; second, three-dimensional
Investigation of Burnup Credit Modeling Issues Associated with BWR Fuel
Investigation of Burnup Credit Modeling Issues Associated with BWR Fuel
This report investigates various calculational modeling issues associated with boilingwater-
reactor (BWR) fuel depletion relevant to burnup credit. To date, most of the efforts in
burnup-credit studies in the United States have focused on issues related to pressurized-waterreactor
(PWR) fuel. However, requirements for the permanent disposal of BWR fuel have
necessitated the development of methods for predicting the spent fuel contents for such fuels.
Concomitant with such analyses, validation is also necessary. This report provides a summary of
Direct Disposal of Dual-Purpose Canisters - Options for Assuring Criticality Control
Direct Disposal of Dual-Purpose Canisters - Options for Assuring Criticality Control
An Extension of the Validation of SCALE (SAS2H) Isotopic Predictions of PWR Spent Fuel
An Extension of the Validation of SCALE (SAS2H) Isotopic Predictions of PWR Spent Fuel
Isotopic characterization of spent fuel via depletion and decay calculations is necessary for
determination of source terms for subsequent system analyses involving heat transfer, radiation
shielding, isotopic migration, etc. Unlike fresh fuel assumptions typically employed in the criticality
safety analysis of spent fuel configurations, burnup credit applications also rely on depletion and
decay calculations to predict the isotopic composition of spent fuel. These isotopics are used in
Management of Commercial High Level and Transuranium Contaminated Radioactive Waste
Management of Commercial High Level and Transuranium Contaminated Radioactive Waste
This report summarizes the results of EPA's review of the AEC
draft environmental statement, "Management of Commercial High-Level
and Transuranium-Contaminated Radioactive Waste" (WASH-1539). The
means by which high-level and long-lived radioactive wastes are
managed constitutes one of the most important questions upon which
the public acceptability of nuclear power, with its social and economic
benefits, will be determined. While the generation of power by
nuclear means offers certain benefits from the environmental viewpoint,
Radioactive Waste Repositories and Host Regions: Envisaging the Future Together
Radioactive Waste Repositories and Host Regions: Envisaging the Future Together
The 7th Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) National Workshop and Community Visit was held on 7-9 April 2009 in Bar-le-Duc, France.
A Monitored Retrievable Storage Facility: Technical Background Information
A Monitored Retrievable Storage Facility: Technical Background Information
Translation of Technical Development on Burn-Up Credit for Spent LWR Fuels
Translation of Technical Development on Burn-Up Credit for Spent LWR Fuels
Technical development on burn-up credit for spent LWR fuels had been performed at JAERI since
1990 under the contract with Science and Technology Agency of Japan entitled ‘Technical Development on
Criticality Safety Management for Spent LWR Fuels.’ Main purposes of this work are to obtain the
experimental data on criticality properties and isotopic compositions of spent LWR fuels and to verify burnup
and criticality calculation codes. In this work three major experiments of exponential experiments for
UCF Waste Package Criticality Analysis
UCF Waste Package Criticality Analysis
This analysis is prepared by the Mined Geologic Disposal System (MGDS) Waste Package Development Department (WPDD) to determine the viability of the UCF waste package concept with respect to criticality regulatory requirements in compliance with the goals of the Waste Package Implementation Plan5·1 for conceptual design. These design calculations are performed in sufficient detail to provide a comprehensive comparison base with other design alternatives.
Legal Background and Questions Concerning the Federal Government’s Contractual Obligations Under the “Standard Contracts” with “Utilities”
Legal Background and Questions Concerning the Federal Government’s Contractual Obligations Under the “Standard Contracts” with “Utilities”
This Memorandum analyzes issues related to the Standard Contract between the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) and the “utilities.” Beginning with a discussion of specific provisions of the Standard Contract, this Memorandum then analyzes the status of lawsuits involving the Standard Contract, reviews issues related to on-site storage of spent fuel and HLW, and assesses the prospects for modifying the current waste-disposal regime through Federal legislation or amendments to the Standard Contract.
Confidence in the Long-term Safety of Deep Geological Repositories
Confidence in the Long-term Safety of Deep Geological Repositories
Confidence in the long-term safety of deep geological disposal, and the ways in which this
confidence can be obtained and communicated, are topics of great importance to the radioactive waste
management community.1
The technical aspects of confidence have been the subject of considerable debate, especially
the concept of model validation. It has, for example, been pointed out that it is impossible to describe
fully the evolution of an open system, such as a repository and its environment, that cannot be