Consequence assessment of fuel reconfiguration for dry storage and transportation packages

The consequences of fuel configuration changes with regard to SNF storage and transportation systems were evaluated in four technical disciplines: criticality, shielding (dose rates), containment, and thermal. Three failed fuel configuration categories were considered; the configurations were characterized by (1) cladding failure, (2) rod/assembly deformation without cladding failure, and (3) changes to assembly axial alignment without cladding failure. The analyses used representative SNF designs and storage cask/transportation packages, a range of fuel initial enrichments, discharge burnup values, and decay times. Consequences with respect to the different technical disciplines for the failed fuel configuration categories were provided relative to the nominal intact configuration. The results indicate that while most potential failed fuel configurations do not have a dramatic impact on the areas investigated, certain configurations (e.g., those involving fuel axial relocation) can have significant adverse effects on criticality and dose rates.