scholarly journals Disposal of Shippingport LWBR spent Nuclear Fuel in Yucca Mountain: Waste Package Internal Criticality Analysis

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.R. Radulescu ◽  
J.W. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Waste Package ◽  
Criticality Analysis

Developing a Concept for a National Used Fuel Interim Storage Facility in the United States

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Wayne Lewis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
The United States ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Storage Facility ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Geological Repository ◽  
Interim Storage

In the United States (U.S.) the nuclear waste issue has plagued the nuclear industry for decades. Originally, spent fuel was to be reprocessed but with the threat of nuclear proliferation, spent fuel reprocessing has been eliminated, at least for now. In 1983, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 [1] was established, authorizing development of one or more spent fuel and high-level nuclear waste geological repositories and a consolidated national storage facility, called a “Monitored Retrievable Storage” facility, that could store the spent nuclear fuel until it could be placed into the geological repository. Plans were under way to build a geological repository, Yucca Mountain, but with the decision by President Obama to terminate the development of Yucca Mountain, a consolidated national storage facility that can store spent fuel for an interim period until a new repository is established has become very important. Since reactor sites have not been able to wait for the government to come up with a storage or disposal location, spent fuel remains in wet or dry storage at each nuclear plant. The purpose of this paper is to present a concept developed to address the DOE’s goals stated above. This concept was developed over the past few months by collaboration between the DOE and industry experts that have experience in designing spent nuclear fuel facilities. The paper examines the current spent fuel storage conditions at shutdown reactor sites, operating reactor sites, and the type of storage systems (transportable versus non-transportable, welded or bolted). The concept lays out the basis for a pilot storage facility to house spent fuel from shutdown reactor sites and then how the pilot facility can be enlarged to a larger full scale consolidated interim storage facility.

Technology Development to Support OCRWM Transportation Activities

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Lake ◽  
Nancy Slater-Thompson ◽  
Ned Larson ◽  
Franchone Oshinowo
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
High Level ◽  
Transportation Program

Technology development activities are being conducted by the Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management to support spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste transport to the federal repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada in 2010. The paper discusses the motivation for pursuing transport technologies for a private sector operated transportation program, and describes some of the current technologies being pursued.

scholarly journals Depleted Uranium Oxides and Silicates as Spent Nuclear Fuel Waste Package Fill Materials

1996 ◽  
Vol 465 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. W. Forsberg
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Depleted Uranium ◽  
Improve Performance ◽  
Waste Package ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Waste

ABSTRACTA new repository waste package (WP) concept for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is being investigated. The WP uses depleted uranium (DU) to improve performance and reduce the uncertainties of geological disposal of SNF. The WP would be loaded with SNF. Void spaces would then be filled with DU (∼0.2 wt % 235U) dioxide (UO2) or DU silicate-glass beads.Fission products and actinides can not escape the SNF UO2 crystals until the UO2 dissolves or is transformed into other chemical species. After WP failure, the DU fill material slows dissolution by three mechanisms: (1) saturation of WP groundwater with DU and suppression of SNF dissolution, (2) maintenance of chemically reducing conditions in the WP that minimize SNF solubility by sacrificial oxidation of DU from the +4 valence state, and (3) evolution of DU to lower-density hydrated uranium silicates. The fill expansion minimizes water flow in the degraded WP. The DU also isotopically exchanges with SNF uranium as the SNF degrades to reduce long-term nuclear-criticality concerns.

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