Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage at Interim Storage Facilities

Problem Statement:

DOE is seeking to identify and evaluate concepts and approaches that can be deployed in a pilot and possibly larger Interim Storage Facility (ISF) for spent nuclear fuel. 

Technical Approach:

A national laboratory team has been tasked with identifying design concepts that address all activities required to take the commercial spent nuclear fuel and Greater-than-Class C (GTCC) low level radioactive waste from its current locations and configurations, transport it to one or more locations for interim storage, prepare the fuel as needed, place it in storage, operate and maintain the interim storage facility, and prepare the spent nuclear fuel for shipment to the permanent repository.  

Benefit:

Activities will support and maintain confidence in the safety and sustainability of nuclear energy by demonstrating responsible actions to ensure the safe, secure and effective management and disposition of used nuclear fuels. This work will develop a suite of options and set of supporting analyses that will enable future informed choices about how best to manage spent nuclear fuel.

Sponsor:

Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE), Nuclear Fuel Storage and Transportation Planning Project

Partner:

Argonne National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory

Principal Investigators:

Rob L. Howard, Bruce B. Bevard