Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel


Book Description

This publication is a revision by amendment of IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSG-15 and provides recommendations and guidance on the storage of spent nuclear fuel. It covers all types of storage facility and all types of spent fuel from nuclear power plants and research reactors. It takes into consideration the longer storage periods beyond the original design lifetime of the storage facility that have become necessary owing to delays in the development of disposal facilities and the reduction in reprocessing activities. It also considers developments associated with nuclear fuel, such as higher enrichment, mixed oxide fuels and higher burnup. Guidance is provided on all stages in the lifetime of a spent fuel storage facility, from planning through siting and design to operation and decommissioning. The revision was undertaken by amending, adding and/or deleting specific paragraphs addressing recommendations and findings from studying the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.




The Nuclear Fuel Cycle


Book Description




Understanding and Managing Ageing of Material in Spent Fuel Storage Facilities


Book Description

This report results from a Coordinated Research Project on ""Ageing of Materials in Spent Fuel Storage Facilities"". It includes sections on the status of the understanding of the ageing of selected materials and on management of ageing.




Geological Repository Systems for Safe Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuels and Radioactive Waste


Book Description

Geological Repository Systems for Safe Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuels and Radioactive Waste, Second Edition, critically reviews state-of-the-art technologies and scientific methods relating to the implementation of the most effective approaches to the long-term, safe disposition of nuclear waste, also discussing regulatory developments and social engagement approaches as major themes. Chapters in Part One introduce the topic of geological disposal, providing an overview of near-surface, intermediate depth, and deep borehole disposal, spanning low-, medium- and high-level wastes. Part Two addresses the different types of repository systems – crystalline, clay, and salt, also discussing methods of site surveying and construction. The critical safety issue of engineered barrier systems is the focus of Part Three, with coverage ranging from nuclear waste canisters, to buffer and backfill materials. Lastly, Parts Four and Five focus on safety, security, and acceptability, concentrating on repository performance assessment, then radiation protection, environmental monitoring, and social engagement. Comprehensively revised, updated, and expanded with 25% new material on topics of current importance, this is the standard reference for all nuclear waste management and geological repository professionals and researchers. - Contains 25% more material on topics of current importance in this new, comprehensive edition - Fully updated coverage of both near-surface/intermediate depth, and deep borehole disposal in one convenient volume - Goes beyond the scientific and technical aspects of disposal to include the political, regulatory, and societal issues involved, all from an international perspective




Safe and Secure Transport and Storage of Radioactive Materials


Book Description

Safe and Secure Transport and Storage of Radioactive Materials reviews best practice and emerging techniques in this area. The transport of radioactive materials is an essential operation in the nuclear industry, without which the generation of nuclear power would not be possible. Radioactive materials also often need to be stored pending use, treatment, or disposal. Given the nature of radioactive materials, it is paramount that transport and storage methods are both safe and secure. A vital guide for managers and general managers in the nuclear power and transport industries, this book covers topics including package design, safety, security, mechanical performance, radiation protection and shielding, thermal performance, uranium ore, fresh fuel, uranium hexafluoride, MOX, plutonium, and more. - Uniquely comprehensive and systematic coverage of the packaging, transport, and storage of radioactive materials - Section devoted to spent nuclear fuels - Expert team of authors and editors




Storing Spent Fuel Until Transport to Reprocessing Or Disposal


Book Description

This publication identifies issues and challenges relevant to the development and implementation of options, policies, strategies and programmes for ensuring safe, secure, and effective storage of spent fuel until transport for reprocessing or disposal. The target audience of this publication includes policy and decision makers who need to be aware of the implicit risks and costs associated with decision timing for determining and implementing an end point for spent fuel management (such as reprocessing or disposal) to ensure the responsible and sustainable use of nuclear energy. The publication will assist those within the nuclear industry in communicating the importance of a clear, credible and sustainable spent fuel management strategy and will encourage decision makers to consider different approaches that may be useful in addressing the uncertainties resulting from an unknown storage duration and an undefined end point for spent fuel management.




Thermal and Reliability Criteria for Nuclear Fuel Safety


Book Description

The book covers basic approaches to the nuclear fuel state of energy reactors in the last stages of the nuclear fuel cycle, these have been developed by the authors based on Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) operational experience. The book starts by looking at the physical safety basis of water-water energetic reactor (WWER) nuclear fuel. It goes on to discuss modern approaches to the heat exchange modelling in nuclear power plant equipment. Next, the safety criteria when making a decision about dry storage for WWER-1000 fuel assembly are discussed. Then the effect of reactor capacity cyclic changes on energy accumulation of creep formations in fuel cladding is covered in full, along with a chapter on the analysis of WWER-1000 fuel cladding failure. Finally, the book finishes with a description of thermal safety criteria for dry storage of spent nuclear fuel. The book is essential reading for anyone concerned with NPP maintenance and safety.




Setting the Stage for International Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facilities


Book Description

In May 2003, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academies organized an international workshop in Moscow on the scientific issues relevant to the establishment and operation of an international spent nuclear fuel storage facility in Russia. Given the broad international interest in this topic, the academies organized a second international workshop on important issues that were not on the agenda or were not adequately discussed at the first workshop. These issues included international monitoring at the facility, transportation requirements, liability and insurance concerns, and status of Russian legislation and regulations that are important in locating and operating a facility. Relevant experience from Europe, the United States, and Asia was also considered in this 2005 workshop. This book contains the papers presented at the 2005 workshop sessions, as well as proceedings from the 2003 workshop. Together they provide an overview of the issues, and useful background for those organizations and individuals involved in further development of an international spent nuclear fuel storage facility in Russia.







Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage


Book Description

In response to a request from Congress, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Homeland Security sponsored a National Academies study to assess the safety and security risks of spent nuclear fuel stored in cooling pools and dry casks at commercial nuclear power plants. The information provided in this book examines the risks of terrorist attacks using these materials for a radiological dispersal device. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel is an unclassified public summary of a more detailed classified book. The book finds that successful terrorist attacks on spent fuel pools, though difficult, are possible. A propagating fire in a pool could release large amounts of radioactive material, but rearranging spent fuel in the pool during storage and providing emergency water spray systems would reduce the likelihood of a propagating fire even under severe damage conditions. The book suggests that additional studies are needed to better understand these risks. Although dry casks have advantages over cooling pools, pools are necessary at all operating nuclear power plants to store at least the recently discharged fuel. The book explains it would be difficult for terrorists to steal enough spent fuel to construct a significant radiological dispersal device.