IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY TRANSPORTATION TASK REPORT ON ACHIEVING MODERATOR EXCLUSION AND SUPPORTING STANDARDIZED TRANSPORTATION

D.K. Morton

关键词: AR FACILITIES;    CASKS;    CONTAINERS;    CRITICALITY;    FUEL CYCLE;    FUEL MANAGEMENT;    SPENT FUELS;    HYPOTHETICAL ACCIDENTS;    LEAKS;    MODERATORS;    RISK ASSESSMENT;    SAFETY;    SPENT FUEL STORAGE;    TESTING;    TRANSPORT;    YUCCA MOUNTAIN FCRD;    Fuel Cycle Research and Development;   

DOI  :  10.2172/1027937
RP-ID  :  INL/EXT-11-22559
PID  :  OSTI ID: 1027937
Others  :  TRN: US1105904

学科分类：核能源与工程

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

Following the defunding of the Yucca Mountain Project, it is reasonable to assume that commercial used fuel will remain in storage for the foreseeable future. This report proposes supplementing the ongoing research and development work related to potential degradation of used fuel, baskets, poisons, and storage canisters during an extended period of storage with a parallel path. This parallel path can assure criticality safety during transportation by implementing a concept that achieves moderator exclusion (no in-leakage of moderator into the used fuel cavity). Using updated risk assessment insights for additional technical justification and relying upon a component inside of the transportation cask that provides a watertight function, a strong argument can be made that moderator intrusion is not credible and should not be a required assumption for criticality evaluations during normal conditions of transportation. A demonstrating testing program supporting a detailed analytical effort as well as updated risk assessment insights can provide the basis for moderator exclusion during hypothetical accident conditions. This report also discusses how this engineered concept can support the goal of standardized transportation.