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Nuclear Criticality Calculations for Canister-Based Facilities - DOE SNF
Nuclear Criticality Calculations for Canister-Based Facilities - DOE SNF
The purpose of this calculation is to perform waste-form specific nuclear criticality safety calculations to aid in establishing criticality safety design criteria, and to identify design and process parameters that are potentially important to the criticality safety of Department of Energy (DOE) standardized Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) canisters.
PWR Axial Burnup Profile Analysis
PWR Axial Burnup Profile Analysis
The purpose of this activity is to develop a representative “limiting” axial burnup profile for pressurized water reactors (PWRs), which would encompass the isotopic axial variations caused by different assembly irradiation histories, and produce conservative isotopics with respect to criticality. The effect that the low burnup regions near the ends of spent fuel have on system reactivity is termed the “end-effect”. This calculation will quantify the end-effects associated with Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel assemblies emplaced in a hypothetical 21 PWR waste package.
Radionuclide Screening
Radionuclide Screening
The waste forms under consideration for disposal in the repository at Yucca Mountain contain scores of radionuclides. It would be impractical and highly inefficient to model all of these radionuclides in a total system performance assessment (TSPA). Thus, the purpose of this radionuclide screening analysis is to remove from further consideration (screen out) radionuclides that are unlikely to significantly contribute to radiation dose to the public from a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.
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.
Canister Handling Facility Criticality Safety Calculations
Canister Handling Facility Criticality Safety Calculations
This design calculation revises and updates the previous criticality evaluation for the canister handling, transfer and staging operations to be performed in the Canister Handling Facility (CHF) documented in BSC (Bechtel SAIC Company) 2004 (DIRS 167614).
BWR Axial Profile
BWR Axial Profile
The purpose of this calculation is to develop axial profiles for estimating the axial variation in burnup of a boiling water reactor (BWR) assembly spent nuclear fuel (SNF) given the average burnup of an assembly. A discharged fuel assembly typically exhibits higher burnup in the center and lower burnup at the ends of the assembly. Criticality safety analyses taking credit for SNF burnup must account for axially varying burnup relative to calculations based on uniformly distributed assembly average burnup due to the under-burned tips.
Nuclear Criticality Calculations for Canister-Based Facilities - Commercial SNF
Nuclear Criticality Calculations for Canister-Based Facilities - Commercial SNF
The purpose of this calculation is to perform waste-form specific nuclear criticality safety calculations to aid in establishing criticality safety design criteria, and to identify design and process parameters that are potentially important to the criticality safety of the transportation, aging and disposal (TAD) canister-based systems.
PWR Axial Burnup Profile Analysis
PWR Axial Burnup Profile Analysis
The purpose of this activity is to develop a representative “limiting” axial burnup profile for pressurized water reactors (PWRs), which would encompass the isotopic axial variations caused by different assembly irradiation histories, and produce conservative isotopics with respect to
PWR Axial Profile Evaluation
PWR Axial Profile Evaluation
This calculation compares results from criticality evaluations for a 21-assembly pressurized water reactor (PWR) waste package based on 12 axial burnup profile representations for commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies. The burnup profiles encompass the axial variations caused by different fuel assembly irradiation histories in a commercial PWR, including end effects, and the concomitant effect on reactivity in the waste package. The bounding axial burnup profiles in Table T of reference 6.3 are used for this analysis.