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Performance Specification for Standardized Transportation, Aging, and Disposal Canister Systems (Rev.2)

This performance specification document addresses use of a standardized transportation, aging, and disposal (STAD) canister system in the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) waste management system. This document was developed to support STAD canister system studies and potential research, development, and demonstration activities. Requirements in this specification may evolve with time based on results from analyses, experiments, design studies, system evaluations and demonstrations, as well as other factors. A STAD canister system consists of a canister, together with a storage or aging overpack/module/vault, a shielded transfer cask (STC), a site transporter, a transportation overpack, and a transportation skid. Three sizes of circular cross section STAD canister variants are specified in this document. The small STAD canister capacity is four pressurized water reactor (PWR) or nine boiling water reactor (BWR) SNF assemblies. The medium STAD canister capacity is 12 PWR or 32 BWR SNF assemblies. The large STAD canister capacity is 21 PWR or 44 BWR SNF assemblies. Using standardized canisters for SNF facilitates the interface between storage at an independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) or a DOEowned interim storage facility (ISF), transportation between facilities, and disposal at a repository. Multiple STAD canisters may be stored in a single storage overpack and/or a single transportation overpack. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements currently used for storage and transportation are adopted for the STAD canister system. Approved approaches (guidance) in NRC storage and transportation documents are also adopted as requirements for the STAD canister system to facilitate obtaining NRC Certificates of Compliance (CoCs) for STAD canister systems. Performance specifications in this document are also informed by STAD canister disposability in various geologic media and consideration of ISF (and geologic repository) handling facility design, operations, and licensing requirements.

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Investigation of Coupled Processes and Impact of High Temperature Limits in Argillite Rock

The focus of research within the UFD Campaign is on repository-induced interactions that may affect the key safety characteristics of an argillaceous rock. These include thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) process interactions that occur as a result of repository construction and waste emplacement. Some of the key questions addressed in this report include the development of fracturing in the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) and THMC effects on the near-field argillaceous rock and buffer minerals and petrophysical characteristics, particularly the impacts of induced temperature rise caused by waste heat.

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Clean and Secure Energy from Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Resources

This report summarizes the significant findings from the Clean and Secure Energy from Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Resources program sponsored by the Department of Energy through the National Energy Technology Laboratory. There were four principle areas of research: Environmental, legal, and policy issues related to development of oil shale and oil sands resources, Economic and environmental assessment of domestic unconventional fuels industry, Basin-scale assessment of conventional and unconventional fuel development impacts, and Liquid fuel production by in situ thermal processing of oil shale. Multiple research projects were conducted in each area and the results have been communicated via sponsored conferences, conference presentations, invited talks, interviews with the media, numerous topical reports, journal publications, and a book that summarizes much of the oil shale research relating to Utah’s Uinta Basin. In addition, a repository of materials related to oil shale and oil sands has been created within the University of Utah’s Institutional Repository, including the materials generated during this research program.

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Clean and Secure Energy from Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Resources

This report summarizes the significant findings from the Clean and Secure Energy from Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Resources program sponsored by the Department of Energy through the National Energy Technology Laboratory. There were four principle areas of research; Environmental, legal, and policy issues related to development of oil shale and oil sands resources; Economic and environmental assessment of domestic unconventional fuels industry; Basin-scale assessment of conventional and unconventional fuel development impacts; and Liquid fuel production by in situ thermal processing of oil shale Multiple research projects were conducted in each area and the results have been communicated via sponsored conferences, conference presentations, invited talks, interviews with the media, numerous topical reports, journal publications, and a book that summarizes much of the oil shale research relating to Utah’s Uinta Basin. In addition, a repository of materials related to oil shale and oil sands has been created within the University of Utah’s Institutional Repository, including the materials generated during this research program. Below is a listing of all topical and progress reports generated by this project and submitted to the Office of Science and Technical Information (OSTI). A listing of all peer-reviewed publications generated as a result of this project is included at the end of this report; Geomechanical and Fluid Transport Properties 1 (December, 2015); Validation Results for Core-Scale Oil Shale Pyrolysis (February, 2015); and Rates and Mechanisms of Oil Shale Pyrolysis: A Chemical Structure Approach (November, 2014); Policy Issues Associated With Using Simulation to Assess Environmental Impacts (November, 2014); Policy Analysis of the Canadian Oil Sands Experience (September, 2013); V-UQ of Generation 1 Simulator with AMSO Experimental Data (August, 2013); Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, Resource Management Plan Constraints, and Land Exchanges (March, 2012); Conjunctive Surface and Groundwater Management in Utah: Implications for Oil Shale and Oil Sands Development (May, 2012); Development of CFD-Based Simulation Tools for In Situ Thermal Processing of Oil Shale/Sands (February, 2012); Core-Based Integrated Sedimentologic, Stratigraphic, and Geochemical Analysis of the Oil Shale Bearing Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah (April, 2011); Atomistic Modeling of Oil Shale Kerogens and Asphaltenes Along with their Interactions with the Inorganic Mineral Matrix (April, 2011); Pore Scale Analysis of Oil Shale/Sands Pyrolysis (March, 2011); Land and Resource Management Issues Relevant to Deploying In-Situ Thermal Technologies (January, 2011); Policy Analysis of Produced Water Issues Associated with In-Situ Thermal Technologies (January, 2011); and Policy Analysis of Water Availability and Use Issues for Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Development (March, 2010)

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M4FT-16LL080303052-State of Knowledge for Colloid Facilitated Radionuclide Transport and Update on Actinide Diffusion in Bentonite Backfill

This progress report (Level 4 Milestone Number M4FT-16LL080303052) summarizes research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) within the Crystalline Disposal R&D Activity Number FT-16LL080303051 and Crystalline International Collaborations Activity Number FT-16LL080303061. The focus of this research is the interaction of radionuclides with Engineered Barrier System (EBS) and host rock materials at various physico-chemical conditions relevant to subsurface repository environments. They include both chemical and physical processes such as solubility, sorption, and diffusion. The colloid-facilitated transport effort focused on preparation of a draft manuscript summarizing the state of knowledge and parameterization of colloid-facilitated transport mechanisms in support of reactive transport and performance assessment models for generic crystalline repositories. This draft manuscript is being submitted as a level 3 milestone with LANL as the primary author. LLNL’s contribution to that effort is summarized only briefly in the present report. A manuscript summarizing long-term U(VI) diffusion experiments through bentonite backfill material was recently accepted for publication; the contents of that manuscript are summarized in the present report. The Np(IV) diffusion experiments were started mid-year and are ongoing. The completion of these experiments is planned for early FY17. Our progress in quantifying Np(IV) diffusion in bentonite backfill is summarized in the present report. Our involvement with the NEA TDB project was summarized in a recent Argillite Disposal activity report. It is not included in this report.

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Status of Progress Made Toward Safety Analysis and Technical Site Evaluations for DOE Managed HLW and SNF.

The Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) Campaign of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) is conducting research and development (R&D) on generic deep geologic disposal systems (i.e., repositories). This report describes specific activities in FY 2016 associated with the development of a Defense Waste Repository (DWR)a for the permanent disposal of a portion of the HLW and SNF derived from national defense and research and development (R&D) activities of the DOE.

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Monticello Mill Tailings Site, Operable Unit lll, Annual Groundwater Report, May 2015 Through April 2016

This report provides the annual analysis of water quality restoration progress, cumulative through April 2016, for Operable Unit (OU) III, surface water and groundwater, of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) Monticello Mill Tailings Site (MMTS). The MMTS is a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act National Priorities List site located in and near the city of Monticello, San Juan County, Utah. MMTS comprises the 110-acre site of a former uranium- and vanadium-ore-processing mill (mill site) and 1700 acres of surrounding private and municipal property. Milling operations generated 2.5 million cubic yards of waste (tailings) from 1942 to 1960. The tailings were impounded at four locations on the mill site. Inorganic constituents in the tailings drained from the impoundments to contaminate local surface water (Montezuma Creek) and groundwater in the underlying alluvial aquifer. Mill tailings dispersed by wind and water also contaminated properties surrounding and downstream of the mill site. Remedial actions to remove and isolate radiologically contaminated soil, sediment, and debris from the former mill site, Operable Unit I (OU I), and surrounding properties (OU II) were completed in 1999 with the encapsulation of the wastes in an engineered repository located on DOE property 1 mile south of the former mill site. This effectively removed the primary source of groundwater contamination; however, contamination of groundwater and surface water remains within OU III at levels that exceed water quality protection standards. Uranium is the primary contaminant of concern (COC). LM implemented monitored natural attenuation with institutional controls as the OU III remedy in 2004. Because groundwater restoration proceeded more slowly than expected and did not meet performance criteria established in the OU III Record of Decision (June 2004), LM implemented a contingency action in 2009 by an Explanation of Significant Difference to include a pump-and­ treat system using a single extraction well and treatment by zero-valent iron (ex situ treatment system). The contingency action was optimized in 2015 with the installation of8 extraction wells and 16 monitoring wells in a focused area of the aquifer, the area of attainment (AOA). Contaminated water is treated by solar evaporation at an existing facility at the LM repository.

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Final Report: Improving the understanding of the coupled thermal-mechanical-hydrologic behavior of consolidating granular salt

The goal of this project is to improve the understanding of key aspects of the coupled thermal-mechanical-hydrologic response of granular (or crushed) salt used as a seal material for shafts, drifts, and boreholes in mined repositories in salt. The project is organized into three tasks to accomplish this goal: laboratory measurements of granular salt consolidation (Task 1), microstructural observations on consolidated samples (Task 2), and constitutive model development and evaluation (Task 3). Task 1 involves laboratory measurements of salt consolidation along with thermal properties and permeability measurements conducted under a range of temperatures and stresses expected for potential mined repositories in salt. Testing focused on the role of moisture, temperature and stress state on the hydrologic (permeability) and thermal properties of consolidating granular salt at high fractional densities. Task 2 consists of microstructural observations made on samples after they have been consolidated to interpret deformation mechanisms and evaluate the ability of the constitutive model to predict operative mechanisms under different conditions. Task 3 concerns the development of the coupled thermal-mechanical-hydrologic constitutive model for granular salt consolidation. The measurements and observations in Tasks 1 and 2 were used to develop a thermal-mechanical constitutive model. Accomplishments and status from each of these efforts is reported in subsequent sections of this report

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Experiments and Modeling to Support Field Test Design

Disposition of heat-generating nuclear waste (HGNW) remains a continuing technical and sociopolitical challenge. We define HGNW as the combination of both heat generating defense high level waste (DHLW) and civilian spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Numerous concepts for HGNW management have been proposed and examined internationally, including an extensive focus on geologic disposal (c.f. Brunnengräber et al., 2013). One type of proposed geologic material is salt, so chosen because of its viscoplastic deformation that causes self-repair of damage or deformation induced in the salt by waste emplacement activities (Hansen and Leigh, 2011). Salt as a repository material has been tested at several sites around the world, notably the Morsleben facility in Germany (c.f. Fahland and Heusermann, 2013; Wollrath et al., 2014; Fahland et al., 2015) and at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, NM. Evaluating the technical feasibility of a HGNW repository in salt is an ongoing process involving experiments and numerical modeling of many processes at many facilities.

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M4SF-17LL010301071: Thermodynamic Database Development

This progress report (Level 4 Milestone Number M4SF-17LL010301071) summarizes research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) within the Argillite Disposal R&D Work Package Number M4SF-17LL01030107. The DR Argillite Disposal R&D control account is focused on the evaluation of important processes in the analysis of disposal design concepts and related materials for nuclear fuel disposal in clay-bearing repository media. The objectives of this work package are to develop model tools for evaluating impacts of THMC process on long-term disposal of spent fuel in argillite rocks, and to establish the scientific basis for high thermal limits. This work is contributing to the GDSA model activities to identify gaps, develop process models, provide parameter feeds and support requirements providing the capability for a robust repository performance assessment model by 2020.

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US Sections Prepared for Future NEA Crystalline Club (CRC) Report on Status of R&D in CRC Countries Investigating Deep Geologic Disposal in Crystalline Rock

U.S. knowledge in deep geologic disposal in crystalline rock is advanced and growing. U.S. status and recent advances related to crystalline rock are discussed throughout this report. Brief discussions of the history of U.S. disposal R&D and the accumulating U.S. waste inventory are presented in Sections 3.x.2 and 3.x.3. The U.S. repository concept for crystalline rock is presented in Section 3.x.4. In Chapters 4 and 5, relevant U.S. research related to site characterization and repository safety functions are discussed. U.S. capabilities for modelling fractured crystalline rock and performing probabilistic total system performance assessments are presented in Chapter 6.

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GeoVision Analysis: Exploration Task Force Report

The GeoVision study effort included ground-breaking, detailed research on current and future market conditions and geothermal technologies in order to forecast and quantify the electric and non-electric deployment potentials under a range of scenarios, in addition to their impacts on the Nation’s jobs, economy and environment. Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), the GeoVision study development relied on the collection, modeling, and analysis of robust datasets through seven national laboratory partners, which were organized into eight technical Task Force groups. The purpose of this report is to provide a central repository for the research conducted by the Exploration Task Force. The Exploration Task Force consists of four individuals representing three national laboratories: Patrick Dobson (task lead) and Christine Doughty of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Anna Wall of National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Travis McLing of Idaho National Laboratory, and Chester Weiss of Sandia National Laboratories. As part of the GeoVision analysis, our team conducted extensive scientific and financial analyses on a number of topics related to current and future geothermal exploration methods. The GeoVision Exploration Task Force complements the drilling and resource technology investigations conducted as part of the Reservoir Maintenance and Development Task Force. The Exploration Task Force however has focused primarily on early stage R&D technologies in exploration and confirmation drilling, along with an evaluation of geothermal financing challenges and assumptions, and innovative “blue-sky” technologies. This research was used to develop geothermal resource supply curves (through the use of GETEM) for use in the ReEDS capacity expansion modeling that determines geothermal technology deployment potential. It also catalogues and explores the large array of early-stage R&D technologies with the potential to dramatically reduce exploration and geothermal development costs, forming the basis of the GeoVision Technology Improvement (TI) scenario. These modeling topics are covered in detail in Potential to Penetration task force report. Most of the research contained herein has been published in peer-reviewed papers or conference proceedings and are cited and referenced accordingly. The sections that follow provide a central repository for all of the research findings of the Exploration and Confirmation Task Force. In summary, it provides a comprehensive discussion of Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) and associated technology challenges, the risks and costs of conducting geothermal exploration, a review of existing government efforts to date in advancing early-stage R&D in both exploration and EGS technologies, as well as a discussion of promising and innovative technologies and implementation of blue-sky concepts that could significantly reduce costs, lower risks, and shorten the time needed to explore and develop geothermal resources of all types.

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Technical and Regulatory Considerations for Use of Fillers in DPCs

There are currently 2,462 dual-purpose canisters (DPCs) containing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) across the United States. Repackaging DPCs into specialized disposal canisters could be financially and operationally costly with additional radiological, operational safety, and management risks. There are several approaches to facilitate direct disposal of DPCs and demonstrate acceptable repository performance. A promising approach is to fill the void space within the DPCs with a material that would significantly limit the potential for criticality through limiting moderation and/or the addition of neutron absorbers in the interstitial spaces within the fuel assemblies and baskets. An acceptable filler would demonstrably show that the probability of criticality in DPCs during the disposal period of interest to be below the probability threshold for inclusion in repository performance assessment. Based on previous work conducted by domestic and international organizations, two approaches were identified as potentially viable for introduction of fillers into DPCs as liquids that would eventually solidify: (1) molten metal fillers introduced at higher temperatures, and (2) resins or cement slurries that solidify at lower temperatures.

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Developing Design Criteria for Safeguards Seals for Spent Fuel Transportation Casks

Current designs for spent fuel transportation casks cannot ensure a cask's integrity during shipment, nor is there any verifiable means of maintaining continuity of knowledge (CoK) on a cask's contents. Spent fuel destined for encapsulation plants or geological repositories requires additional containment and surveillance (C/S) measures during shipment. Following final safeguards accountancy measurements on spent fuel assemblies, the shipment of verified assemblies will require unprecedented reliance on maintaining CoK on the fuel inside transport casks. Such increased reliance is due to the lack of reverification of spent fuel following encapsulation into disposal canisters and by meeting the requirement of dual C/S measures during such fuel shipments according to recommendations made by the Application of Safeguards to Geological Repositories (ASTOR) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert group. By designing spent fuel transportation casks with effective seals integrated into their design, CoK can be more effectively maintained than by ad hoc C/S measures because seal integration ensures that a cask has not been tampered with. Externally applied seals might not be able to provide such assurance for currently designed spent fuel transportation casks, although some combination of seals, detectors, and/or a technology that can verify canister integrity might provide this assurance. This paper examines the design criteria for integrating safeguards seals into transportation casks and provides recommendations for near-term applications.

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Innovative Plutonium Waste Forms: Acceptability to Shipp to WIPP

The mission of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is the safe and permanent disposition of transuranic radioactive waste from atomic energy defense activities of the United States. The plant consists of an underground repository in a salt formation that is free of flowing water, easily mined, impermeable, and geologically stable. The salt rock naturally seals fractures and closes openings over time. The repository is now anticipated to receive a greater amount of plutonium materials than originally envisioned. An engineered waste form for safe and efficient transport and long-term disposal of plutonium materials is an urgent need. An optimal waste form could also reduce the disposition life cycle and its associated costs to the taxpayer.

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Evaluation of Engineered Barrier Systems in the Disposition of Spent Nuclear Fuel

This document is a summary of the R&D activities associated with the Engineered Barrier Systems Work Package. Multiple facets of Engineered Barrier Systems (EBS) research were examined in the course of FY18 activities. This report is focused on delivering an update on the status and progress of modelling tools and experimental methods, both of which are essential to understanding and predicting long-term repository performance as part of the safety case. Specifically, the work described herein aims to improve understanding of EBS component evolution and interactions. Utlimately, the EBS Work Package is working towards producing process models for distinct processes that can either be incorporated into performance assessment (PA), or provide critical information for implementing better constraints on barrier performance The main objective of this work is that the models being developed and refined will either be implemented directly into the Generic Disposal System Analysis platform (GDSA), or can otherwise be indirectly linked to the performance assessment by providing improved bounding conditions. In either the case, the expectation is that validated modelling tools will be developed that provide critical input to the safety case. This report covers a range of topics — modelling topics include: thermal-hydrologic-mechanical-chemical coupling (THMC) in buffer materials, comparisons of modelling approaches to optimize computational efficiency, thermal analysis for EBS/repository design, benchmarking of thermal analysis tools, and a preliminary study of buffer re-saturation processes. Experimental work reported, includes: chemical evolution and sorption behavior of clay-based buffer materials and high-pressure, high temperature studies of EBS material interactions. The work leverages international collaborations to ensure that the DOE program is active and abreast of the latest advances in nuclear waste disposal. This includes participation in the HotBENT Field Test, aimed at understanding near-field effects on EBS materials at temperatures above 100 °C, and the analysis of data and characterization of samples from the FEBEX Field Test. Both the FEBEX and HotBENT Field Tests utilize/utilized the Grimsel Test Site in Switzerland, which is situated in a granite host rock. These tests offer the opportunity to understand near field evolution of bentonite buffer at in situ conditions for either a relatively long timescale (18 years for FEBEX) or temperature above 100 °C (HotBENT). Overall, this report provides in depth descriptions of tools and capabilities to investigate nearfield performance of EBS materials (esp. bentonite buffer), as well as tools for drift-scale thermal and thermal-hydrologic analysis critical to EBS and repository design. For a more detailed description of work contained herein, please see Section 10 ("Conclusions") of this document.

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Phase Transformation Kinetics and Alloy Microsegregation in High Pressure Die Cast Magnesium Alloys (Final Report)

The primary objective of this project is to conduct a systematic, quantitative study of phase transformation kinetics and microsegregation in HPDC Mg alloys in both as-cast and heat treated conditions. These results will be used to develop and validate physics-based phase transformation kinetics micro-models that quantitatively capture microstructural evolution and microsegregation during HPDC and heat treatment of Mg alloys. Finally, this knowledge will be transferred to industry and the wider research community through these micro-models and the experimental data that will be stored in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advanced Automotive Cast Magnesium Alloys Repository, as well as a new repository, the University of Michigan Department of Energy Predictive Integrated Structural Materials Science (UM DOE PRISMS) Materials Commons. To accomplish these goals, a systematic and comprehensive experimental study is being combined with computational modeling and simulation.

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Fracture Toughness Evaluation for Spent Nuclear Fuel Clad Systems Using Spiral Notch Torsion Fracture Toughness Test

Many radioactive materials within the nuclear fuel cycle present a significant hazard. Such materials include spent nuclear fuel, high-level waste, legacy waste and other nuclear materials. These materials are often held in long-term storage as an interim stage within their lifecycle, including reuse or disposal. Safety and security of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) interim storage installations and follow-on SNF transportations to its final repository sites are very important, due to a great concentration of fission products, actinides and activation products. Fracture mechanics approach in applying to SNF system reliability investigation, especially for the high burn up (HBU) SNF, during SNF long term dry storage or SNF transportation is necessary due to the inherited flaws and inhomogeneity structures existed in a SNF system from the reactor operation. For instance, such as hydride and oxide formation, surface flaw induced by SNF assembly contact interactions, or internal flaws induced by pellet-clad mechanical interaction (PCMI). However, none of the existing fracture toughness data deal with fuel cladding specific geometry or SNF material conditions, such as cladding structure with the segment fuel pellets configuration and the PCMI mechanism. Consequently, the application of existing fracture toughness data to SNF system reliability investigation can be error prone; thus, the development of an industry-wide consensus fracture mechanics approach is needed. The objective of this research is to develop an in-situ fracture mechanics testing protocol, including the associated analytical procedure, that is suitable for evaluating the SNF fracture toughness. Fracture toughness data was obtained under quasi-static fracture loading using Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) developed Spiral Notch Torsion Test (SNTT) technology carried out on a biaxial tension/torsion tester. These data will be used to support SNF reliability investigation during long-tern SNF dry storage stage or in the follow-on SNF system transport to the final repository sites. SNTT has been a recent breakthrough in measuring fracture toughness for different materials, including metals, ceramics, concrete and polymers composites. Due to its high geometry constraint and unique loading condition, SNTT can be used to measure the fracture toughness with smaller specimens without concern of size effects. The application of SNTT to brittle materials has been proved to be successful. The micro-cracks induced by original notches in brittle materials could ensure crack growth in SNTT samples. Therefore, no fatigue pre cracks are needed for brittle materials specimens. The application of SNTT to the ductile material to generate valid toughness data will require a test sample with sufficient pre-crack length to increase the sample localized constraint at crack front. Fatigue pre-crack growth techniques with the associated compliance function estimated was developed for estimating the crack penetration depth to monitor the fatigue crack growth evolution. In order to extend SNTT approach to a thin shell cladding structure material, a new testing protocol and the associated analytical procedure for estimating the SNF fracture toughness was developed. The detailed SNTT approach and its estimated fracture toughness for the Zr-4 cladding structure with segment alumina inserts are presented in this report. The SNTT test results indicate that SNTT method is a reliable test approach with good repeatability in applying to Zr-4 cladding material. For the medium and the short crack length, the estimate J Q upon fracture for the baseline Zr-4 cladding is at 285.7 lb/in with 2-sigma uncertainty of 18.59 lb/in., and the associated K Q is at 61.4 Ksi√in. For a long crack length, the crack initialization orientation is apparently deviated from the principle tensile stress contour – 45° spiral crack front (i.e., Mode I + Mode III failure mechanism); and the estimated J Q is at 108 lb/in., the associated K Q is at 37.7 Ksi√in. The estimate Mode I J Q (along the 45° pitch principle tensile stress contour) is at 200 lb/in.; which indicate a significant reduction in the fracture toughness in a tubing structure under mixed mode loading condition, Mode I + Mode III, compared to that of Mode I (tensile stress dominated) alone.

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