Abstract
The High Burnup Spent Fuel Data Project, sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), is focused on experimentally evaluating the effects of long-term storage and transportation on high burnup (HBU) (defined as >45 gigawatt days per metric ton of uranium) pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The project has acquired 25 HBU spent fuel rods from Dominion's North Anna Nuclear Power Plant and delivered to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for extensive post-irradiation examination (PIE). These examinations are being conducted to obtain a baseline of the HBU rods' condition prior to dry storage. Extensive nondestructive examinations (NDEs) have been completed, and destructive examinations (DEs) are underway. The DEs are focused on understanding overall SNF rod strength and durability. Both composite fuel and empty cladding will be tested to derive material properties. While the data generated can be used for multiple purposes, a primary goal for obtaining the sister rod PIE data and the associated measured mechanical properties is to support existing fuel storage licensing and relicensing activities by (1) addressing identified knowledge gaps and (2) enhancing the technical basis for post-storage transportation, handling, and consolidation activities. This paper presents results obtained to date from the DEs, including fission gas composition, internal pressure, and free volume measurements for 8 sister rods.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 359-363 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| State | Published - 2019 |
| Event | 17th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference, IHLRWM 2019 - Knoxville, United States Duration: Apr 14 2019 → Apr 18 2019 |
Conference
| Conference | 17th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference, IHLRWM 2019 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Knoxville |
| Period | 04/14/19 → 04/18/19 |
Funding
This work is part of a collaborative effort between Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory funded by the US DOE Office of Nuclear Energy. National Laboratory funded by the US DOE Nuclear Energy. The High Burnup Spent Fuel Data Project, sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), is focused on experimentally evaluating the effects of long-term storage and transportation on high burnup (HBU) (defined as >45 gigawatt days per metric ton of uranium) pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The project has acquired 25 HBU spent fuel rods from Dominion’s North Anna Nuclear Power Plant and delivered to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for extensive post-irradiation examination (PIE). These examinations are being conducted to obtain a baseline of the HBU rods’ condition prior to dry storage.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| US Department of Energy | |
| U.S. Department of Energy | |
| Office of Nuclear Energy | |
| Argonne National Laboratory | |
| Oak Ridge National Laboratory | |
| Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | |
| Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung |
