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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2

TVA Coal-Fired Plant Potential for Advanced Reactor Siting

This report summarizes the application of the OR-SAGE tool to the potential backfit of a small modular reactor (SMR) or an advanced non–light-water reactor (non-LWR) at a current or former TVA coal plant site to serve as an example in support of the DOE-NE SA&I Campaign. The OR-SAGE development funded by this campaign has led to additional development and application of the tool.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Acceptance Test of WCTC with LEU Fuel at the IVG.1M Research Reactor Site in Kazakhstan

The water-cooled technological channels (WCTC) with low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel, in the amount required for conversion, were delivered to the IVG.1M site by the manufacturer in February 2021 and thereafter the site acceptance test (SAT) of the WCTCs and the fuel elements started immediately. The paper provides an overview of the SAT conducted between March and November 2021 by the designated experts of the reactor operator and the manufacturer. It includes the introduction of the IVG.1M reactor and its unique WCTCs, and the inspection methodology to verify the conformity of the quality of the LEU fuel with the Technical Design (reference document). The paper presents results of the non-destructive and destructive tests, the outcomes of the thermohydraulic measurements, as well as the evaluation and corrective actions (if any), including the amendments (modifications) of the Technical Design initiated by the manufacturer based on the test results. Finally, the paper draws conclusions on the effectiveness of the SAT method used, captures consolidated experiential knowledge and shares lessons learned that can be used in general when planning and performing fuel verification.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Data Validation Package, June 2016 Groundwater Sampling at the Hallam, Nebraska, Decommissioned Reactor Site, August 2016

The 2008 Long-Term Surveillance Plan [LTSP] for the Decommissioned Hallam Nuclear Power Facility, Hallam, Nebraska (http://www.lm.doe.gov/Hallam/Documents.aspx) requires groundwater monitoring once every 2 years. Seventeen monitoring wells at the Hallam site were sampled during this event as specified in the plan. Planned monitoring locations are shown in Attachment 1, Sampling and Analysis Work Order. Water levels were measured at all sampled wells and at two additional wells (6A and 6B) prior to the start of sampling. Additionally, water levels of each sampled well were measured at the beginning of sampling. See Attachment 2, Trip Report, for additional details. Sampling and analysis were conducted as specified in Sampling and Analysis Plan for U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Sites (LMS/PRO/S04351, continually updated, http://energy.gov/lm/downloads/sampling-and-analysis-plan-us-department- energy-office-legacy-management-sites). Gross alpha and gross beta are the only parameters that were detected at statistically significant concentrations. Time/concentration graphs of the gross alpha and gross beta data are included in Attachment 3, Data Presentation. The gross alpha and gross beta activity concentrations observed are consistent with values previously observed and are attributed to naturally occurring radionuclides (e.g., uranium and uranium decay chain products) in the groundwater.

2016 Groundwater Sampling↗

Use of Multi-Attribute Utility Analyses to Assess Transportation Routes from ISFSIs - 20535

With two consolidated interim storage facilities for used nuclear fuel (UNF) having applied for storage licenses, there is the potential need to transport UNF in the U.S. from shutdown reactor sites to complete the site cleanup and from operating reactor sites who may be running out of storage options (e.g., spent fuel pools are nearly full and dry storage facilities are reaching licensed capacity). At some of the shutdown reactor sites, only the independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) exists and often there remains a degraded transportation infrastructure for performing shipments from these sites. At other sites (e.g., operating reactor plants), the existing transportation infrastructure on the site is unchanged and sufficient for moving UNF, but the environment around the route may have changed (e.g., what was once a rural setting has transformed into a more urban setting) and/or local stakeholders want their input taken into consideration in UNF transportation activities. So, although preliminary evaluations have been performed to identify viable modes of transport from these sites using rail, barge, and/or heavy haul truck, if multiple options exist for moving the UNF from the site (e.g., multiple truck routes or a truck and a barge route both exist) then an evaluation that takes input from multiple stakeholders should be considered to identified the preference (e.g., ranking) of routes from a site. Orano has supported the development of several studies examining the viable routes for removing UNF from some of these sites and has utilized a multi-attribute utility analysis (MUA) to establish a ranking of routes and associated modes to move the UNF from the ISFSIs to a Class I rail carrier. The ultimate result from the MUA is a list(s) of the most to the least favored/preferred routes from the site. This paper provides an overview of the MUA methodology and provides an example of its application to a site with a shutdown reactor. (authors)

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Developing a concept for a national used fuel interim storage facility in the United States

In the United States (U.S.) the nuclear waste issue has plagued the nuclear industry for decades. Originally, spent fuel was to be reprocessed but with the threat of nuclear proliferation, spent fuel reprocessing has been eliminated, at least for now. In 1983, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 [1] was established, authorizing development of one or more spent fuel and high-level nuclear waste geological repositories and a consolidated national storage facility, called a 'Monitored Retrievable Storage' facility, that could store the spent nuclear fuel until it could be placed into the geological repository. Plans were under way to build a geological repository, Yucca Mountain, but with the decision by President Obama to terminate the development of Yucca Mountain, a consolidated national storage facility that can store spent fuel for an interim period until a new repository is established has become very important. Since reactor sites have not been able to wait for the government to come up with a storage or disposal location, spent fuel remains in wet or dry storage at each nuclear plant. The purpose of this paper is to present a concept developed to address the DOE's goals stated above. This concept was developed over the past few months by collaboration between the DOE and industry experts that have experience in designing spent nuclear fuel facilities. The paper examines the current spent fuel storage conditions at shutdown reactor sites, operating reactor sites, and the type of storage systems (transportable versus non-transportable, welded or bolted). The concept lays out the basis for a pilot storage facility to house spent fuel from shutdown reactor sites and then how the pilot facility can be enlarged to a larger full scale consolidated interim storage facility. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

An Analysis of Potentially Implementing Standardized Canisters in the U.S. Commercial Waste Management System

This analytical study focuses on loading standardized transportation, aging, and disposal canisters (STADs) at commercial reactor sites and subsequent transportation, e.g., to a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF). Specifically, the amount of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) available to load into STADs with varying deployment dates is explored, and the scenarios are compared with a scenario in which STADs are never loaded at reactor sites. Two key findings are that about half of the U.S. inventory of commercial SNF could be captured in STADs if they were fully deployed by 2035 and that the percentage of SNF available to load into STADs decreases as STAD deployment is delayed.In additional scenarios, the effects of shipping STADs directly from at-reactor spent fuel pools (SFPs) to a CISF are analyzed for a STAD full deployment year of 2035. A key finding from the analysis is that the dry storage of SNF in STADs at reactor sites can be minimized by direct shipment to a CISF from reactor site SFPs. Furthermore, minimizing dry storage at reactor sites means maximizing the receipt rate for STADs at a CISF, and there is likely a more optimal point between the two scenarios for an overall cost-effective operation of waste management systems.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Siting Analyses for Advanced Nuclear Advisors (Final CRADA Report)

This report summarizes siting evaluation assistance provided to Advanced Nuclear Advisors (ANA) under CRADA/NFE-25-10693 for suitability of advanced nuclear technologies to meet siting criteria from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and associated guidance documents including the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) siting guide and other proprietary datasets. Advanced Nuclear Advisors provided sites for reactor siting evaluations using the Oak Ridge – Siting Analysis for power Generation Expansion (OR-SAGE) tool. Individual data packages for each site are provided separately.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Siting Analyses for Elementl Power (Final CRADA Report)

This report summarizes siting evaluation assistance provided to Elementl Power under CRADA/NFE-23-09638 for suitability of advanced nuclear technologies to meet siting criteria from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and associated guidance documents including the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) siting guide and other proprietary datasets. Elementl Power provided sites for reactor siting evaluations using the Oak Ridge – Siting Analysis for power Generation Expansion (OR-SAGE) tool. Individual data packages for each site are provided separately.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗