Criticality calculations of spent fuel in deep geological repository

Criticality calculations have been performed for a typical spent fuel disposal canister model filled with PWR fuel elements. Geometric and material properties of the disposal canister and disposal holes were modeled based on the Swedish preliminary disposal concept. Direct disposal of 5% enriched 16 × 16 PWR fuel was considered. We performed the calculations of the neutron multiplication factor using various disposal configurations, depending on the initial enrichment, fuel burnup, canister geometry and disposal holes configuration. The results showed that under normal conditions, when the canister is filled with fresh spent nuclear fuel, the system is deeply sub-critical. If it is assumed that the canister is faulty, leaking and filled with ground water, the system may become critical in the case of fresh fuel.     

Finite element analyses and verifying tests for a shock-absorbing effect of a pad in a spent fuel storage cask

A spent fuel storage cask is required to prove the safety of its canister under a hypothetical accidental drop condition which means that the canister is assumed to be free dropped on to a pad of the storage cask during the loading of the canister into a storage cask. In this paper, finite element analyses and verifying tests for a shock-absorbing effect of a pad in a spent fuel dry storage cask were carried out to improve the structural integrity of the canister under a hypothetical accidental drop condition. The pad of the storage cask was originally designed as cylindrical steel structure filled with concrete. The pad was modified by using the structure composed of steel and polyurethane-foam instead of the quarter of the upper concrete as an impact limiter. The effects of the shape and the thickness of the steel structure and the density of the polyurethane-foam which was used in between steel structures were studied. As the optimized pad of a spent fuel dry storage cask, the quarter of the upper concrete was replaced with 12 mm thick circular steel structure and polyurethane-foam whose density was 85 kg/m³. The drop tests of a 1/3 scale model for the canister on to the original pad and the optimized pad were conducted. The effect of the pad structure was evaluated from the drop tests. The optimized pad has a greater shock-absorbing effect than the original pad. In order to verify the analysis results, strains and accelerations in the time domain by the analytical methods were compared with those by a test. The numerical method of simulating the free drop test for a dry storage cask was verified and the numerical results were found to be reliable.     

Effect of helium on the microstructure of spent fuel in a repository: An operational approach

In a repository, the release of radionuclides from spent fuel rods will strongly depend on the pellet microstructure existing when water comes into contact with the spent fuel surface, i.e. after 10,000 years of disposal. During this period, a large quantity of He atoms is produced by α-disintegrations of actinides in the spent fuel. A conservative model is proposed here to evaluate the consequences of He on the spent fuel microstructure. According to the solubility and diffusion properties of He under repository conditions, two scenarios are considered: He atoms can be trapped in fission gas bubbles or form new bubbles. In spite of the conservative assumptions of the model, the calculated values of bubble or pore pressure are much lower than critical values derived from rupture criteria. No evolution of the microstructure of the spent UO₂ fuel is thus expected before the breaching of the canister.     

High heat load properties of actively cooled W/CuCrZr mock-ups by diffusion bonding with Ni or Ti interlayer

Two actively cooled mock-ups with 5 mm thick tungsten armor, joined to CuCrZr alloy, were successfully developed by diffusion bonding technique with Ti or Ni interlayer for the EAST device in ASIPP. Its thermal response and thermal fatigue properties were investigated with active cooling. No cracks and voids occurred at the interface of W/CuCrZr after thermal response test with a heat flux from 0 MW/m² to 10 MW/m². It survived up to 200 cycles under 10 MW/m². The temperature distributions of the mock-up were estimated by Finite Element Analysis. The simulation results indicated that thermal contact capability between the tungsten and the copper alloy with Ti interlayer was higher than that of Ni interlayer. Results showed that diffusion bonding of W/CuCrZr with Ni or Ti interlayer is a potential candidate for a high heat resistance armor material on plasma facing components (PFC).     

Thermo-mechanical FE-analysis of residual stresses and stress redistribution in butt welding of a copper canister for spent nuclear fuel

The transient and residual temperature, stress and strain field present during electron beam welding of a plane copper end to a canister for spent nuclear fuel is calculated by the use of FEM. The subsequent stress redistribution is calculated up to 10,000 years. The canister consists of two concentric cylinders, an inner steel cylinder containing the spent nuclear fuel and an outer copper cylinder. It was found that the maximum plastic strain (plastic+creep) accumulated in the (possibly brittle) heat affected zone is ≈7%, which seems to be well below the reported ductility for the copper used.     

Preliminary conceptual design of a geological disposal system for high-level wastes from the pyroprocessing of PWR spent fuels

The inventories of spent fuels are linearly dependent on the production of electricity generated by nuclear energy. Pyroprocessing of PWR spent fuels is one of promising technologies which can reduce the volume of spent fuels remarkably. The properties of high-level wastes from the pyroprocessing are totally different from those of spent fuels. A geological disposal system is proposed for the high-level wastes from pyroprocessing of spent fuels. The amount and characteristics of high-level wastes are analyzed based on the material balance of pyroprocessing. Around 665 kg of monazite ceramic wastes are expected from the pyroprocessing of 10 MtU of PWR spent fuels. Decay heat from monazite ceramic wastes is calculated using the ORIGEN-ARP program. Disposal modules consisting of storage cans, overpacks, and a deposition hole or a disposal tunnel are proposed. Four kinds of deposition methods are proposed. Thermal design is carried out with ABAQUS program and geological data obtained from the KAERI Underground Research Tunnel. Through the thermal analysis, the spacing between the disposal modules is determined for the peak temperature in buffer not to exceed 100 °C. Thermal analysis shows that the optimum spacing between the vertical deposition holes with 4 overpacks is 8 m when the disposal tunnel spacing is 40 m and optimum spacing of 2 m for horizontal disposal tunnel with 25 m tunnel spacing. Also, the spacing reduces to 6 m for vertical deposition when the double-layered buffer is used, which reduces the disposal area to one-sixty fifth (1/65th) compared with the direct disposal of spent fuels. Finally, the effect of cooling time on the disposal area is illustrated.     

Development of monitoring technique for the confirmation of spent fuel integrity during storage

A method is developed to monitor integrity of spent fuels stored in a canister that is sealed by weld. To achieve the monitoring, Kr-85 gas was newly adopted as a kind of probe. In the case of a fuel rod defect, Kr-85 gas of the fuel rod is leaked in the canister. By detection of gamma ray (514 keV) emitted from Kr-85 outside of the canister, defected rods can be detected without unsealing the canister. The monitoring technique was developed using small-scaled mock-up experiments and simulated calculation. The result showed that Kr-85 gas leakage of about 10¹¹ Bq is detectable under the noise gamma rays by using the detection system with collimator, which is about 10% of Kr-85 inventory in a fuel rod. Therefore, this monitoring technique is considered as an inspection method prior to transportation of spent fuel from an interim storage facility to a reprocessing plant.     

Progress of a cost optimization for an HLW repository in Korea

This paper provides the results of a cost optimization for a CANDU spent fuel canister as well as the operational duration of an HLW repository. From the design change of an advanced-CANDU spent fuel canister, the overall costs were expected to be reduced by 124 MEUR in the case of disposing of 36,000 tU in an HLW repository, and it was also found that the optimal operational duration for an HLW repository was 83 years, to minimize the total cost. But this operational duration was only calculated from the aspect of cost benefits with economics' perspectives.We confirmed that the canister and operational duration are the dominant cost drivers for surface facilities and underground facilities for a cost optimization, respectively. Especially, the manufacturing method of an outer canister using the cold spray coating technique which was developed through collaboration with a domestic company is suggested to minimize the overall costs.     

Analysis of the processes in spent fuel pools of Ignalina NPP in case of loss of heat removal

Ignalina NPP is the only nuclear power plant in Lithuania consisting of two units, commissioned in 1983 and 1987. Unit 1 of Ignalina NPP was shutdown for decommissioning at the end of 2004 and Unit 2 is to be operated until the end of 2009. Both units are equipped with channel-type graphite-moderated boiling water reactors RBMK-1500. According to the design, the spent fuel should be returned for reprocessing to Russia. However actually any fuel assembly has not been taken out from territory of the Ignalina NPP and all assemblies of spent fuel are stored in the spent fuel pools and dry on-site storage facility. Thus, the safety justification of facilities for intermediate spent fuel assemblies’ storage in Ignalina NPP is very important. This paper presents the results of loss of heat removal accidents (the most probable beyond design basis accident) in spent fuel pools of Ignalina NPP. The analysis was performed by employing best-estimate system thermal hydraulic code RELAP5 and codes for severe accidents ATHLET-CD and ASTEC. The best-estimate analysis, performed using RELAP5, allowed to investigate in the details the water evaporation, uncovering and fuel assemblies heat-up processes, when heat removal from the structures of buildings and pools are evaluated. The processes of spent fuel assemblies’ degradation due to loss of long-term heat removal were analyzed using ATHLET-CD and ASTEC codes. The results of calculations showed that the increase in water temperature in the pools from 50 °C up to 100 °C takes approximately 80-110 h, the evaporation of water volume down to uncovering of fuel assemblies takes approximately 220-260 additional hours. Later, after 200-300 h, the temperature of fuel claddings exceeds 800-1000 °C and the failures of fuel claddings occur due to cladding ballooning. The total amount of hydrogen generated up to time of complete water evaporation from spent fuel pools is about 7500-16,000 kg. These results of performed analysis were used for development of accident management guidelines for spent fuel pools of RBMK-1500.     

Characteristics of a Geological Disposal System for the Increasing Burn-up of Spent Nuclear Fuel in Korea

The characteristics of a geological disposal system that can accommodate increasingly higher burn-up levels of spent fuel were assessed based on the Korea reference disposal system concept. First, a status investigation that included a projection of spent fuel quantity versus burn-up was carried out to demonstrate the trend toward higher burn-up levels. Next, the main features of the Korea reference disposal system were introduced. Finally, the disposal tunnel length, excavation volume, and raw materials (e.g., a cast insert, copper, bentonite and backfill) necessary for a disposal system were comprehensively analyzed to define the characteristics and overall effects on geological disposal at increasingly higher burn-up levels. Our study determined that it is reasonable to use a canister containing 4 spent fuel assemblies with burn-up levels up to 50GWD/MTU, while a canister containing 3 spent fuel assemblies can accommodate burn-up levels beyond 50GWD/MTU. A remarkable increase of 33% in disposal tunnel length and that of 30% in excavation volume were observed as the burn-up increased from 50 to 60GWD/MTU. However, this was offset by a reduction of 17% in raw materials used in canister fabrication. Therefore, it seems that spent fuel at increasingly higher burn-up levels is not a serious concern for deep geological disposal in Korea.     

Nitration by a simulated fuel technique for nitride fuel re-fabrication

Nitration reaction of a spent nuclear oxide fuel through a carbothermic reduction and the change in thermal conductivity of the resultant nitride specimens were investigated by a simulated fuel technique for use in nitride fuel re-fabrication from spent oxide fuel. The simulated spent oxide fuel was formed by compacting and sintering a powder mixture of UO₂ and stable oxide fission product impurities. It was pulverized by a 3-cycle successive oxidation-reduction treatment and converted into nitride pellet specimens through the carbothermic reduction. The rate of the nitration reaction of the simulated spent oxide fuel was decreased due to the fission product impurities when compared with pure uranium dioxide. The amount of Ba and Sr in the simulated spent oxide fuel was considerably reduced after the nitride fuel re-fabrication. The thermal conductivity of the nitride pellet specimen in the range 295-373 K was lower than that of the pure uranium nitride but higher than the simulated spent oxide fuel containing fission product impurities.     

Validation of the thermal calculation method and the applicability of confinement monitoring with a full-scale mock-up test of a concrete cask

Abstract

The Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd (MES) has designed and fabricated a full-scale mock-up system that can be used to store spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The system is made up of two parts; a concrete shield that is vented and an inner steel canister that provides containment of the SNF. A benchmark analysis of this storage system was carried out using a combined thermal calculation method. Initially airflows and temperatures outside the canister were calculated using a three-dimensional thermal flow analysis method. The results from this analysis were used as the boundary conditions to calculate the maximum temperatures inside the canister using a two-dimensional heat transfer method. The calculated results agreed well with the measurements and the validity of the combined method of analysis was confirmed. Since all measured temperatures were within their acceptable limits, it was also confirmed that the concrete cask storage system has sufficient heat removal capability. MES has also proposed a new canister confinement monitoring system. It is based on the relationship between the inner pressure of the canister and the temperature of the canister lid and the pedestal. The validity and applicability of the system are confirmed by the full-scale mock-up experiment results. The conceptual design of the monitoring system is considered, and the system can realised at low cost, with high reliability and easy maintenance.     

Production and preliminary characterization of ferritic-martensitic steel T91 cladding tubes for LBE or Pb cooled nuclear systems

Thin wall tubes with suitable dimensions for possible future use as nuclear fuel cladding based on ferritic-martensitic steel T91 have been produced. Several rolling routes for thin wall tube rolling have been successfully explored to produce T91 tubes of 8.5 mm OD and 0.5 mm wall thickness as well as 6.5 mm OD and 0.5 mm wall thickness. The results show that the cold rolled Т91 steel thin walled tubes remain ductile and the material easily carries fractional strains. Finally the microstructure of the resulting tubes was examined and preliminary burst and tensile tests were performed showing properties comparable to those of T91 plate material.     

Methodology to make a robust estimation of the carbon steel overpack lifetime with respect to the Belgian Supercontainer design

The Supercontainer (SC) design is the preferred Belgian option for the final disposal of vitrified high-level waste (VHLW) and spent fuel (SF) in deep underground clay layers. The SC consists of a carbon steel overpack, containing VHLW canisters or SF assemblies, surrounded by a thick concrete buffer, which in turn, is entirely encased in a stainless steel envelope. An integrated R&D strategy is developed to demonstrate and defend that the integrity of the carbon steel overpack can be ensured at least during the thermal phase. This integrated approach, proposed to estimate the lifetime of the carbon steel overpack, consists of three steps: lifetime prediction, validation, and confidence building. Under the predicted conditions within the SC (highly alkaline concrete buffer), the carbon steel overpack is expected to undergo uniform corrosion (passive dissolution). The methodology exists in demonstrating that corrosion forms other than uniform corrosion (e.g. localised corrosion such as pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion and stress corrosion cracking) cannot occur (‘exclusion principle’). This paper elaborates on how this methodology is implemented.     

The effect of phosphorus on creep in copper

Pure copper with an addition of about 50 ppm phosphorus is the planned material for the outer part of the waste package for spent nuclear fuel in Sweden. Phosphorus is added to improve the creep ductility but it also strongly increases the creep strength. In the present paper the influence of phosphorus on the strength properties of copper is analysed. Using the Labusch-Nabarro model it is demonstrated that 50 ppm has a negligible influence on the yield strength in accordance with observations. For slow moving dislocations, the interaction energy between the P-atoms and the dislocations gives rise to an agglomeration and a locking. The computed break away stresses are in agreement with the difference in creep stress of copper with and without P-additions.     

The reactor physics characteristics of a transuranic mixed oxide fuel in a heavy water moderated reactor

The reprocessing actinide materials extracted from spent fuel for use in mixed oxide fuels is a key component in maximizing the spent fuel repository utility. While fast spectrum reactor technologies are being considered in order to close the fuel cycle, and transmute these actinides, there is potential to utilize existing pressurized heavy water reactors such as the CANDU^®1 design to meet these goals. The use of current thermal reactors as an intermediary step which can burn actinide based fuels can significantly reduce the fast reactor infrastructure needed. This paper examines the features of actinide mixed oxide fuel, TRUMOX, in a typical CANDU nuclear reactor. The actinide concentrations used were based on extraction from 30 year cooled spent fuel and mixed with natural uranium in 4.75% actinide MOX fuel. The WIMS-AECL model of the fuel lattice was created and the two neutron group properties were transferred to RFSP in order to create a 3 dimensional time average full core model. The model was created with typical CANDU limits on bundle and channel powers and a burnup target of 45 MWd/kgHE. The TRUMOX fuel design achieved its goals and performed well under normal operations simulations. This effort demonstrated the feasibility of using the current fleet of CANDU reactors as an intermediary step in burning reprocessed spent fuel and reducing actinide burdens within the end repository. The recycling, reprocessing and reuse of spent fuels produces a much more sustainable and efficient nuclear fuel cycle using existing and proven reactor technologies.     

The Swedish nuclear waste program and the long-term corrosion behaviour of copper

The principal strategy for high-level radioactive waste disposal in Sweden is to enclose the spent fuel in tightly sealed copper canisters that are embedded in bentonite clay about 500 m down in the Swedish bedrock. Besides rock movements, the biggest threat to the canister in the repository is corrosion. ‘Nature’ has proven that copper can last many million of years under proper conditions, bentonite clay has existed for many million years, and the Fennoscandia bedrock shield is stable. The groundwater may not stay the very same over very long periods considering glaciations, but this will not have dramatic consequences for the canister performance. While nature has shown the way, research refines and verifies. The most important task from a corrosion perspective is to ascertain a proper near-field environment. The background and status of the Swedish nuclear waste program are presented together with information about the long-term corrosion behaviour of copper with focus on the oxic period.     

The effect of radiation on the anaerobic corrosion of steel

To ensure the safe encapsulation of spent nuclear fuel elements for geological disposal, SKB of Sweden are considering using a canister, which consists of an outer copper canister and a cast iron insert. Previous work has investigated the rate of gas generation due to the anaerobic corrosion of ferrous materials over a range of conditions. This paper examines the effect of radiation on the corrosion of steel in repository environments. Tests were carried out at two temperatures (30 °C and 50 °C), two dose rates (11 Gray h⁻¹ and 300 Gray h⁻¹) and in two different artificial groundwaters, for exposure periods of several months. Radiation was found to enhance the corrosion rate at both dose rates but the greatest enhancement occurred at the higher dose rate. The corrosion products were predominantly magnetite, with some indications of unidentified higher oxidation state corrosion products being formed at the higher dose rates.     

Impact of PWR spent fuel variations on back-end features of advanced fuel cycles with tru-fueled VHTR

Alternative strategies are being considered as management option for current spent nuclear fuel transuranics (TRU) inventory. Creation of transmutation fuels containing TRU for use in thermal and fast reactors is one of the viable strategies. Utilization of these advanced fuels will result in transmutation and incineration of the TRU. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of conventional PWR spent fuel variations on TRU-fueled very high temperature reactor (VHTR) systems. The current effort is focused on prismatic core configuration operated under a single batch once-through fuel cycle option. IAEA’s nuclear fuel cycle simulation system (VISTA) was used to determine potential PWR spent fuel compositions. Additional composition was determined from the analysis of United States legacy spent fuel that is given in the Yucca Mountain Safety Assessment Report. A detailed whole-core 3-D model of the prismatic VHTR was developed using SCALE5.1 code system. The fuel assembly block model was based on Japan’s HTTR fuel block configuration. To establish a reference reactor system, calculations for LEU-fueled VHTR were performed and the results were used as the basis for comparative studies of the TRU-fueled systems. The LEU fuel is uranium oxide at 15% ²³⁵U enrichment. The results showed that the single-batch core lifetimes ranged between 5 and 7 years for all TRU fuels (3 years in LEU), providing prolonged operation on a single batch fuel loading. Transmutation efficiencies ranged between 19% and 27% for TRU-based fuels (13% in LEU). Total TRU material contents for disposal ranged between 730 and 808 kg per metric ton of initial heavy metal loading, reducing TRU inventory mass by as much as 27%. Decay heat and source terms of the discharged fuel were also calculated as part of the spent fuel disposal consideration. The results indicated strong potential of TRU-based fuel in VHTR.     

Thermal design investigation of a new tube-type dry-storage system through CFD simulations

This study numerically investigated the thermal performance of a new tube-type dry-storage system (DSS) with 61 BWR spent nuclear fuels (SNFs) by utilizing the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT. Through a minimized and necessary assumption of modeling process (e.g., the lumped model of fuel assembly), a geometry model was employed to solve the problem of conjugate heat transfer coupled with thermal radiation. The simulation results show that the maximum temperature is 333 °C, and the minimum temperature margins are 81.5 °C and 12.3 °C for the fuel assembly and concrete structure, respectively. The results further demonstrate that the new tube-type DSS meets the thermal requirements in the NUREG-1536 guidelines and the temperature limitation of structure material. Finally, the CFD simulation can be a powerful tool for thermal–hydraulic analysis, which can provide useful information for design improving, such as the accuracy temperature values, location of hot spots in each component and the flow field characteristics.