Vacuum Drying Test Plan - Public Version

NRC initiated a research activity with the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA®) to develop a conceptual test plan for measuring the quantity of residual water remaining in a canister following vacuum drying to the criterion referenced in NUREG–1536 (NRC, 2010). The test plan will be used to help NRC assess options for independently performing an experimental program or to support engagements with industry or the Department of Energy should they undertake a similar effort. While residual water may be considered as unbound or bound (i.e., physi- or chemisorbed), the focus of this test plan is only the unbound water. This activity consists of the preparation of two technical letter reports. The first report (Miller et al., 2013) described current industry drying practices and capabilities. It also reviewed canister and fuel assembly designs to determine design features or characteristics that could affect the quantity of residual water after drying. The second report of this research activity is the present, which is the description of the test plan itself. Section 2 of this report reviews the parameters that were recommended for inclusion in the test plan. Section 3 describes the considerations for the test setup and equipment selections. Section 4 describes the design and implementation of a conceptual test program. Section 5 presents the summary of this report and Section 6 lists the references.