Abstract
The High Flux isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been unable to ship its spent fuel off-site for reprocessing since 1985. The HFIR storage pools are expected to fill up by the end of 1994. If a management alternative to existing HFIR pool storage is not identified and implemented by that time, the HFIR will be forced to shut down. This study identified and investigated five alternatives to managing the HFIR spent fuel, to determine the feasibility of implementing each in time to prevent shutdown of the HFIR: 1. increasing HFIR pool storage capacity, 2. storing the spent fuel at another ORNL pool, 3. storing the spent fuel in one or more hot cells at ORNL, 4. shipping the spent fuel off-site for reprocessing or storage elsewhere, and 5. installing a dedicated dry storage facility at ORNL. Of the alternatives investigated, only two could prevent the shutdown of the HFIR in the near term: increasing HFIR pool storage capacity or shipping the spent fuel off-site. Both options have been vigorously pursued because neither is assured of success, and at least one of the options must be successfully implemented if the HFIR is to continue operation. In addition, a third option was selected for implementation as an intermediate-term storage solution: installing a dedicated dry storage facility for the HFIR. An intermediate-term storage solution is needed because neither of the short-term solutions could ensure long-term continued operation of the HFIR.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 338-342 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| State | Published - 1994 |
| Event | Proceedings of the 5th Annual International Conference on High Radioactive Waste Management. Part 1 (of 4) - Las Vegas, NV, USA Duration: May 22 1994 → May 26 1994 |
Conference
| Conference | Proceedings of the 5th Annual International Conference on High Radioactive Waste Management. Part 1 (of 4) |
|---|---|
| City | Las Vegas, NV, USA |
| Period | 05/22/94 → 05/26/94 |
