Evaluation of Dry Versus Wet Unloading of Spent Nuclear Fuel Shipping Casks

摘要

The Transportation Technology Center at Sandia National Laboratories completed an evaluation of unloading methods for spent fuel by sponsoring technical programs at Exxon Nuclear Company, Inc., and General Electric Corporation. These programs provided a comprehensive assessment of the relative merits, capabilities, and limitations of dry and wet unloading methods. The results of this evaluation, when continued, are expected to impact the development of future spent fuel and waste transportation systems. In addition, final conclusions of the evaluation will provide input to designers of future receiving and shipping interfaces at away-from-reactor spent fuel storage facilities and geologic nuclear waste repositories in the United States. The results presented here apply to the case where uncanistered spent fuel from light water reactors is to be handled. The conclusions may be different if uncontaminated canistered waste forms are considered in the future. (ERA citation 06:002042)