Fuel-In-Air FY07 Summary Report

This report presents the results of testing conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in support of Bechtel SAIC Co., LLC (BSC) during fiscal year 2007. The objectives of the testing were to provide data to determine if high burnup (HBU) Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel (CSNF) (i.e., burnup in the range 45 to 80 GWd/MTU) will behave differently than lower burnup fuels tested previously, to determine the fractional release of fuel from a spent fuel rod upon cladding failure (i.e., burst scenario), and to determine the fraction and particle-size distribution (PSD) of oxidized fuel that may become airborne under off-normal scenarios in the surface facilities at the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain.