Technical Issues and Approach to License Dry Storage of LWR Fuel in the United States

摘要

Dry storage is emerging as an important alternative to wet storage for US utilities, even though wet storage will remain the principal storage method, at least until the federal government begins to accept fuel in 1998. Dry storage has been licensed in several countries. In the USA, dry storage issues are related to storage system performance and behavior of spent fuel during storage. There is a coordinated US effort among electric utilities, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to license two dry storage concepts: metal casks, and horizontal storage modules. The following activities are underway to resolve the licensing issues associated with dry storage and to establish the licensing basis: (1) summarize and assimilate domestic and foreign dry storage experience; (2) conduct tests which resolve specific licensing issues; (3) conduct cooperative demonstrations of the leading dry storage concepts; and (4) establish criteria and justifications for generic licensing. The paper summarizes the licensing issues and the approach to their resolution. (ERA citation 10:001980)