Symposium on Reprocessing Spent Nuclear Fuel

Abstract

This repo).t summarizesthe resultsof a survey of foreignexperiencein dry storageof spent fuel from nuclearpowerreactors that was carriedout for the U.S. Departmentof Energy's (DOE)Officeof Civilian Radioactive Waste Management(OCRWM). The report reviewsthe mechanismsfor degradationof spent fuel claddingand fuel materialsin dry storage,identifiesthe status and plans of world-wideexperienceand applications,and documentsthe available information on the expected long-termintegrityof the dry-storedspent fuel from actualforeign experience. Countriescovered in this survey are: and the former USSR (most of these formerRepublicsare now in the Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS]). Industrialdry storageof Magnox fuels started 'in1972 in the United Kingdom;Canada began industrialdry storageof CANDU fuels in 1980. The technologyfor safe storageiisgenerallyconsidered to be developedfor time periodsof 30 to 100 years for LWR fuel in inert gas and for some fuels irloxidizinggases at low temperatures. Becauseit will probablybe decades before countrieswill have a repositoryfor spent fuels and high-levelwastes,the plans for expandeduse of dry storagehave increasedsignificantly in recentyears and are expectedto continueto increasein the near future. P'NL-8072 ii i Abstract CONTENTS