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Spent Fuel Burnup Credit in Casks: An NRC Perspective
Spent Fuel Burnup Credit in Casks: An NRC Perspective
Until now, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) approval of criticality safety evaluations for spent fuel in transport and storage casks has been based on analyzing the fuel as though it were fresh and without burnable poisons. The well-known nuclide composition of fresh fuel has provided a straightforward and bounding approach for showing that spent fuel systems will remain subcritical under normal and accident conditions. Burnup credit refers to the approval of criticality safety evaluations that consider the decrease in fuel reactivity caused by. irradiation in the reactor.
Selection of Reactor Criticals as Benchmarks for Spent Nuclear Fuels
Selection of Reactor Criticals as Benchmarks for Spent Nuclear Fuels
An Empirical Approach to Bounding the Axial Reactivity Effects of PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel
An Empirical Approach to Bounding the Axial Reactivity Effects of PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel
One of the significant issues yet to be resolved for using
burnup credit ~BUC! for spent nuclear fuel ~SNF! is establishing
a set of depletion parameters that produce an adequately conservative
representation of the fuel’s isotopic inventory. Depletion
parameters ~such as local power, fuel temperature, moderator temperature,
burnable poison rod history, and soluble boron concentration!
affect the isotopic inventory of fuel that is depleted in a
pressurized water reactor ~PWR!. However, obtaining the detailed
Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Low-Enriched Uranium Spent Fuels for Burnup Credit Application
Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Low-Enriched Uranium Spent Fuels for Burnup Credit Application
Criticality safety analysis devoted to spent-fuel storage and transportation has to be conservative in order to be sure no accident will ever happen. In the spent-fuel storage field, the assumption of freshness has been used to achieve the conservative aspect of criticality safety procedures. Nevertheless, after being irradiated in a reactor core, the fuel elements have obviously lost part of their original reactivity. The concept of taking into account this reactivity loss in criticality safety analysis is known as burnup credit.
Computational Benchmark of SAS2D Against Spent Fuel Samples from the Takahama-3 Reactor
Computational Benchmark of SAS2D Against Spent Fuel Samples from the Takahama-3 Reactor
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.
Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Report under the Joint Convention by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Second Review Meeting in May 2006
Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Report under the Joint Convention by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Second Review Meeting in May 2006
The Federal Government will continue to meet Germany’s existing international obligations, par- ticularly with regard to fulfilment of the Joint Convention. In submitting this report, the Federal Re- public of Germany is demonstrating its compliance with the Joint Convention and ensuring the safe operation of facilities for the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, including the de- commissioning of nuclear installations. At the same time, there is still a need for future action in order to maintain the required high standards of safety and ensure disposal.
Key Issues Associated with Interim Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel
Key Issues Associated with Interim Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel
The issue of interim storage of used (spent)1 fuel is dependent on a number of key factors, some
of which are not known at this time but are the subject of this study. The first is whether or not
the Yucca Mountain Project continues or is cancelled such that it may be able to receive spent
fuel from existing and decommissioned nuclear power stations. The second is whether the United
States will pursue a policy of reprocessing and recycling nuclear fuel. The reprocessing and
Used Fuel Management System Interface Analyses
Used Fuel Management System Interface Analyses
Preliminary system-level analyses of the interfaces between at-reactor used fuel management, consolidated storage facilities, and disposal facilities, along with the development of supporting logistics simulation tools, have been initiated to provide the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other stakeholders with information regarding the various alternatives for managing used nuclear fuel (UNF) generated by the current fleet of light water reactors operating in the United States.
Categorization of Used Nuclear Fuel Inventory in Support of a Comprehensive National Nuclear Fuel Cycle Strategy
Categorization of Used Nuclear Fuel Inventory in Support of a Comprehensive National Nuclear Fuel Cycle Strategy
A technical assessment of the current inventory [~70,150 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) as of
2011] of U.S.-discharged used nuclear fuel (UNF) has been performed to support decisions regarding fuel
cycle strategies and research, development and demonstration (RD&D) needs. The assessment considered
discharged UNF from commercial nuclear electricity generation and defense and research programs and
determined that the current UNF inventory can be divided into the following three categories:
Spent Fuel Transportation Risk Assessment, Final Report
Spent Fuel Transportation Risk Assessment, Final Report
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is responsible for issuing regulations for the
packaging of spent fuel (and other large quantities of radioactive material) for transport that
provide for public health and safety during transport (Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR) Part 71, “Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Waste,” dated
January 26, 2004). In September 1977, the NRC published NUREG-0170, “Final Environmental
Statement on the Transportation of Radioactive Material by Air and Other Modes,” which
Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Australian National Report, October 2005
Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Australian National Report, October 2005
The responsibility for the governance of Australia is shared by the Australian government and the governments of the six states and two self governing territories. Responsibility for radiation health and safety in each State and Territory rests with the respective State/Territory government, unless the activity is carried out by an Australian government agency or a contractor to a Australian government agency; in those cases the activity is regulated by the Australian government.
Evaluation of a Spent Fuel Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Evaluation of a Spent Fuel Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
In June 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) submitted a license application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the construction of a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The license application was accepted for formal NRC review in September 2008. Throughout the more than 20-year history of the Yucca Mountain project, EPRI has performed independent assessments of key technical and scientific issues to facilitate an understanding of overall repository performance.
Criticality Risks During Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Criticality Risks During Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel
This report presents a best-estimate probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) to quantify the frequency of criticality accidents during railroad transportation of spent nuclear fuel casks. The assessment is of sufficient detail to enable full scrutiny of the model logic and the basis for each quantitative parameter contributing to criticality accident scenario frequencies. The report takes into account the results of a 2007 peer review of the initial version of this probabilistic risk assessment, which was published as EPRI Technical Report 1013449 in December 2006.
Kingdom of Belgium, Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Second Review Meeting (May 2006), Answers to the Questions of Contracting Parties on the National Report submitted by Belgium
Kingdom of Belgium, Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Second Review Meeting (May 2006), Answers to the Questions of Contracting Parties on the National Report submitted by Belgium
Kingdom of Belgium, Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Second Review Meeting (May 2006), Answers to the Questions of Contracting Parties on the National Report submitted by Belgium
H12: Project to Establish the Scientific and Technical Basis for HLW Disposal in Japan Supplementary Report Background of Geologic Disposal
H12: Project to Establish the Scientific and Technical Basis for HLW Disposal in Japan Supplementary Report Background of Geologic Disposal
Radioactive waste is produced from a wide range of human activities. The wastes arising from the nuclear fuel cycle occur as a wide range of materials and in many different physical and chemical forms, contaminated with varying activities of radionuclides. Their common feature is the potential hazard associated with their radioactivity and the need to manage them in such a way as to protect the human environment. The safe disposal of radioactive waste is a key reequirement of the nuclear industry worldwide.
Consolidated Interim Storage of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel
Consolidated Interim Storage of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel
Approximately 54,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel are stored at operating nuclear power
plants and several decommissioned power plants throughout the country. Spent fuel
storage at these sites was never intended to be permanent. The current Federal plan is to
place the fuel in a repository for permanent disposal in Nevada at Yucca Mountain.
Recently, appropriations committees in Congress suggested building one or more Federal
sites for consolidated interim storage of spent fuel. Several reasons were identified. The
Dedicated-site, interim storage of high-level nuclear waste as part of the management system
Dedicated-site, interim storage of high-level nuclear waste as part of the management system
Dedicated-site interim storage of high-level reprocessed nuclear waste and of spent fuel rods is proposed as a long-term integral part of the systems approach of the national nuclear waste isolation program. Separation of interim sites for retrievable storage from permanent-disposal repositories should enhance ensurance of the performance of the latter; maintenance of retrievability at separate sites also has many advantages in both safety and possible use of waste as resources.
Helping a Community Control its Future: Potential Negotiating Packages and Benefits for an MRS Host
Helping a Community Control its Future: Potential Negotiating Packages and Benefits for an MRS Host
The voluntary siting process for the Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility set forth in the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act (NWPAA) of 1987 provides a potential host community a unique opportunity to improve its present situation and to gain greater control over its future.
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 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.
The Problem of used nuclear fuel: lessons for interim solutions from a comparative cost analysis
The Problem of used nuclear fuel: lessons for interim solutions from a comparative cost analysis
An acceptable long-term solution for used (spent) fuel from nuclear power reactors has evaded all countries engaged in the civilian
nuclear fuel cycle. Furthermore, many countries are trying to develop interim storage solutions that address the shortage of storage in
the spent fuel cooling pools at reactors. The United States has a particularly acute problem due to its adherence to an open fuel cycle
and its large number of reactors. Two main options are available to address the spent fuel problem: dry storage on-site at reactors and
Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel (Specific Safety Guide)
Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel (Specific Safety Guide)
This Safety Guide provides recommendations and guidance on the storage of spent nuclear fuel. It covers all types of storage facilities and all types of spent fuel from nuclear power plants and research reactors. It takes into consideration the longer storage periods that have become necessary owing to delays in the development of disposal facilities and the decrease in reprocessing activities. It also considers developments associated with nuclear fuel, such as higher enrichment, mixed oxide fuels and higher burnup.
Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Brazilian National Report
Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Brazilian National Report
On 29 September 1997 the Join Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management was open for signature at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. Brazil signed the Convention on October 11th, 1997 and ratified it by the Legislative Decree n. 1.019 of November 14th, 2005. Brazil deposited the instrument of ratification with the Depositary on 17 February 2006. The Convention objectives are to achieve and maintain a high level of nuclear safety worldwide in spent fuel and radioactive waste management.