Spent Fuel Performance Assessment and Research - Phase IV
Closed for Proposals
Project Type
Coordinated Research ProjectProject Code
T13016
CRP
2152
Approved Date
8 July 2015Project Status
ClosedStart Date
25 February 2016Expected End Date
30 June 2020Completed Date
30 June 2020Participating Countries
Switzerland, United States of AmericaDescription
Continued spent fuel storage and future transitions from one phase of the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle to the next requires that the operational experience and research results be reported and disseminated to the Member States for input to continued operations safety assessments and the licensing of new facilities. In this respect the SPAR CRP has supported this requirement through the reporting of on-going performance and research on the behaviour of power reactor spent fuel and materials in wet and dry storage.?In looking forward a number of SPAR participants identified that they would be continuing their research activities to bridge knowledge gaps on existing fuel behaviour, R&D to underpin new facilities and dry storage systems and in support of fuel types being transitioned from a recycling strategy to direct disposal. A continuation of the project to report on these activities and to continue to collect and report fuel and system performance experiences, especially from the deployment of new technology, is proposed.
Objectives
To develop (continue the input to the existing) a technical knowledge base on the long term behaviour of power reactor spent fuel and storage systems materials through the evaluation of operating experience and research by participating Member States.
Specific Objectives
Surveillance and monitoring programmes of spent fuel storage facilities as one of the means to evaluate spent fuel performance during storage.
To collect and exchange relevant experience of spent fuel storage and the impact on associated spent fuel management activities in the participating countries.
To develop the capability to assess the impact of potential deterioration mechanisms on fuel and spent fuel storage components.
To evaluate fuel and materials performance under wet and dry storage, and to assess the impact of interim storage on associated spent fuel management activities (for example spent fuel handling and transport).
To exploit areas of synergy among research projects of the participating Member States to gain agreed approaches to research and result analysis.
To extrapolate predictions of spent fuel behaviour over long periods of time.
To facilitate the transfer of knowledge by documenting the technical basis for spent fuel storage.
Impact
A wealth of data to support the ongoing safe storage of spent fuel in both wet and dry storage systems has been generated by work underway in Member States. As storage durations extend, in addition to the issues directly relevant to storage, research programmes relating to the transition between fuel cycle steps such as transportation and disposal are being developed and implemented.
For more than 20 years, the IAEA’s SPAR CRPs have reported the results of participating Member State research programmes in support of wet and dry storage and the ongoing performance of spent fuel in storage. Feedback from participants and through vehicles such as IAEA advisory groups (e.g. the Technical Working Group on Nuclear Fuel Cycle Options and Spent Fuel Management, TWG-NFCO) have voiced the benefits of these CRPs to the wider international community to inform their national programmes, through the timely reporting of topical issues/developments and being a source of technical information to support safety cases.
Relevance
The CRP is highly relevant at a time when spent fuel storage durations are increasing. It enabled collaboration between institutes, as well as exchange of research information and for peer review of work completed.
The CRP was a useful vehicle for IAEA to gather information pertinent to spent fuel storage and subsequent transportation.
CRP Publications
United States of America / EPRI
Report
2018
ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Evaluation of the Impact of Neutron Absorber Material Blistering and Pitting on Spent Fuel Pool Reactivity, Rep. EPRI-3002013119, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA (2018).
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2017
Identification of the Thermal Conductivity Coefficient for Quasi-Stationary Two-Dimensional Heat Conduction Equations / Yu. M. Matsevityi, S. V. Alekhina, V. T. Borukhov, G. M. Zayats, A. O. Kostikov // Journal of Engineering Physics and Thermophys-ics. – 2017. – V. 90, No.6. – ?. 1295-1310, DOI 10.1007/s10891-017-1686-7.
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2018
Alekhina SV Conditions of heat exchange in the container of dry storage of the spent nuclear fuel of power reactors // Electrical engineering and electric power. - 2018. - ?2. - P. 27-36. (in Ukrainian)
Switzerland / NAGRA
Paper
2017
VLASSOPOULULOS E., et al., Mechanical Integrity of Used Nuclear Fuel: From Experimental to Numerical Studies, Proc. 2018 Reactor Fuel Performance Meeting TopFuel 2018, European Nuclear Society, Brussels, Belgium (2018).
Switzerland / PSI
Paper
2019
GONG, W., MILLE, M., ZUBLER, R., BERTSCH, J., Anisotropic influence of hydrides on Zircaloy fatigue, Proc. Global/Top Fuel 2019, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (2019).
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2017
Alekhina SV Thermal modes of storage of spent fuel assemblies in ventilated containers // Nuclear energy and environment. - 2017. - ? 2 (10). - P. 60-67. (in Ukranian)
Switzerland / PSI
Paper
2018
GONG, W., TRTIK, P., VALANCE, S., BERTSCH, J., Hydrogen diffusion under stress in zircaloy: High resolution neutron radiography and finite element modelling, J. Nucl. Mat. 508 (2018) 459–464.
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2020
S. Alyokhina, A. Kostikov, I. Koriahina Scientific Basis of Thermal Safety Analysis of Dry Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel on Zaporizhska NPP // Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. 2020. ?2(126), p.81-84.
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2018
Efficiency of the dose rate calculation by monte-carlo method and point kernel method when handling radioactive waste / Rudychev, V.G., Azarenkov, N.A., Girka, I.O., Rudychev, Y.V. // Problems of Atomic Science and Technology (PAST). – 2018. – 2(114). P. 63-69.
Argentina / CNEA
Paper
2019
VIZCAINO, P., FLORES, A. V., VICENTE, M. A., SANTISTEBAN, J. R., DOMIZZI, G., TOLLEY, A., CONDó, A., ALMER, J., XIX ASTM International Symposium of the zirconium in the Nuclear Industry. Manchester, United Kingdom, May 20–23, 2019. Accepted for publication as a STP (Selected Technical Paper) of the Symposium.
United States of America / EPRI
Paper
2020
AKKURT, H., WONG, E., “Industrywide global efforts toward long term monitoring of neutron absorber materials in spent fuel pools”, Proc. Int. Conf. on Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors 2019, IAEA, Vienna (2020).
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Conference Paper
2017
Alekhina S.V., Kruglov S.A. Analysis of the injected into the heat on heat-cut containers of dry recovery from the nuclear firing. - "Innovative ways of modernization of basic industries, energy and resource conservation, environmental protection", VI International scientific and practical conference of young scientists and specialists in the field of designing enterprises of the mining and metallurgical complex, energy and resource conservation and environmental protection , 22-23 March 2017 p119-123 (in Russian)
United States of America / EPRI
Paper
2019
AKKURT, H., QUIGLEY, A., HARRIS, M., "Accelerated Corrosion Tests to Evaluate the Long-Term Performance of BORAL? in Spent Fuel Pools”, Proc. 19th Int. Symp. Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials, PATRAM 2019, August 4-9, 2019, New Orleans, LA, USA Curran Associates, Red Hook, NY (2019).
Slovakia / VUJE
Master's Thesis
2019
Diana Kubova,"Analysis of weld joints of ATABOR steels", Faculty of Materials Science and Technology, Trnava, 2019
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2017
Rudychev V.G., Azarenkov M.O., Girka I.O., Rudychev Y.V., Shchus O.P. Contribution of Radionuclides to Heat Release In the Process of SNF Dry Storage // Problems of Atomic Science And Technology (PAST). – 2017. – 2(108). P. 91-96.
United States of America / EPRI
Paper
2019
AKKURT, H., “Overview of EPRI Research on Evaluation of Long Term Performance of Neutron Absorber Material Performance in Spent Fuel Pools” Proc. 17th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference, Curran Associates Red Hook, NY (2019).
Argentina / CNEA
Paper
2016
VICENTE ALVAREZ, M.A., SANTISTEBAN, J.R., VIZCAíNO, P., RIBARIK, G., UNGAR, T., Quantification of dislocations densities in zirconium hydride by X-ray line profile analysis, J. Acta Mat. 117 (2016) 1–12
Switzerland / NAGRA
Report
2017
VLASSOPOULOS E., et al., Investigation of the properties and behaviour of spent nuclear fuel under conditions relevant for interim dry storage, handling and transportation: experimental setup optimisation and cold test campaign, NAGRA Arbeitsbericht NAB 16-67, March 2017
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2018
Alekhina SV Thermal aspects of some emergencies during dry storage of spent nuclear fuel in ventilated containers // Problems of nuclear power plants and Chernobyl. - 2018.– Vip. 30. - P. 24-30 (in Ukranian)
Switzerland / Nagra
Paper
2017
VLASSOPOULOS E., et al., "Destructive tests for determining mechanical integrity of spent nuclear fuel rods", Proc. 16th Int. High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conf., April 9-13, 2017, Charlotte, NC, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (2017).
Argentina / CNEA / San Martin University
PhD Thesis
Constanza Buioli, PhD thesis, in advance, Sabato Institute of Technology, San Martin University (UNSAM), Argentina
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2018
Alyokhina S. Solar Radiation Influence On The Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Container / S.Alyokhina, S.Kapuza, A.Kostikov // Problems Of Atomic Science And Technology (PAST). – 2018. – 2(114). P.57-62.
European Commission / JRC Karlsruhe
Paper
2017
RONDINELLA, V.V., NASYROW, R., PAPAIOANNOU, D. VLASSOPOULOS, E., CAPPIA, F., ET AL, “Mechanical integrity studies on spent nuclear fuel rods”, Proc. IHLRWMC 2017, Curran Associates, Red Hook, NY (2017) 734–740
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Conference paper abstract
2017
Determination of the impact of solar radiation on the storage of spent nuclear fuel / S. Kapuza, S. Alekhina // XIII International Scientific and Technical Conference of Young Scientists and Specialists "Problems of Modern Nuclear Energy": Abstracts, October 18-20, 2017 p 40 (in Ukranian)
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2018
Alyokhina S. Safety of the dry spent nuclear fuel storage. Thermal regimes / S.Alyokhina, D.Lunov // Journal of Nuclear Research and Development. – 2018. – ?. 3-7.
Spain / Enresa
Presentation
2016
FERNáNDEZ, F.J., et al, “Dry cask monitoring at José Cabrera NPP”, Presented at EPRI ESCP Winter Meeting, November 2016, Charlotte, NC
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2017
Alyokhina S. Safety Issues Of The Dry Storage Of The Spent Nuclear Fuel / S. Alyokhina, A. Kostikov, S.Kruhlov // Problems Of Atomic Science And Technology (PAST). – 2017. – 2(108). P. 70-74.
Spain / Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Enresa)
Paper
2019
RENGEL, M.A. MARTIN, RUIZ, J., “Ring compression testing of prehydrided PWR cladding with hydride blisters”, Proc. Global/Top Fuel 2019, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (2019)
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2018
Alyokhina S. V. Problems of creating scientific and methodological bases of spent nuclear fuel dry cask storage thermal safety in Ukraine // Problems of mechanical engineering– 2018. – ?. 21, ???.3. – P. 4-12. DOI: 10.15407/pmach2018.03.004.
Switzerland / PSI
Conference presentation
2019
COLLDEWEIH, A.W., GONG, W., ZUBLER, R., BERTSCH, J., TRTIK, P., Influence of cracking direction during DHC of zircaloy-2 cladding, Presented at TopFuel 2019, 22–27 September 2019, Seattle
United Kingdom / NNL
Paper
2017
WALTERS, W.S., DURHAM, P., HODGE, N., The adsorption of water from a carbonaceous deposit layer on the surface of stainless steel representing spent AGR nuclear fuel cladding, J. Nucl. Sci. Technol. 55 (2017) 374–385
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
PhD Thesis
2019
Thesis of the Doctor of Sciences "Scientific Bases of the Thermal Safety of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage" by Svitlana Alyokhina, 30 May 2019
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2018
Alyokhina SV Determination of mutual thermal influence of containers with spent nuclear fuel on the open storage site / SV Alyokhina, AO Kostikov, DI Lunyov, OM Dybach, DO Dimitrieva // Nuclear and radiation safety. - 2018. - P. 49-53 (in Ukrainian)
United States of America / Sandia National Lab (EPRI)
Report
2019
BRYAN, C.R., JAREK, R.L., FLORES, C., LEONARD, E., Analysis of Gas Samples Taken from the High Burnup Demonstration Cask, Rep. SAND2019-2281, Sandia Natl Lab, Albuquerque, NM (2019)
United States of America / EPRI
Report
2020
ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, High-Burnup Used Fuel Dry Storage System Thermal Modeling Benchmark: Round Robin Results, Rep. EPRI-3002013124, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA (2020).
Switzerland / PSI
Paper
2017
GONG, W., TRTIK, P., ZUBLER, R., BERTSCH, J., Stress induced hydrogen redistribution in zircaloy measured by high resolution neutron imaging, Presented at 2017 Water reactor fuel performance meeting, 10–14 September 2017, Jeju.
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2018
Alekhina SV Forecasting of temperatures in a container with spent nuclear fuel / SV Alyokhina, OM Dybach, AO Kostikov, DO Dimitrieva // Nuclear and radiation safety. - 2018. - ?2 (78). - P. 31-35 (in Ukrainian)
Rep. of Korea / KAERI
Paper
2018
HONG, J-D., KIM, E., YANG, Y-S., KOOK, D-H., Mechanical Property Degradation of Unirradiated Zircaloy-4 Cladding After Creep Deformation, Nucl. Technol., 203 3 (2018) 282–292
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
PhD reference
2019
Alekhina SV Scientific bases of thermal safety of dry storage of spent nuclear fuel: author's ref. dis. for science. degree of doctor of technical sciences Science: special. 05.14.14 "Thermal and nuclear power plants" / SV Alekhina. - Odessa, 2019. - 38 p. (in Ukranian)
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2018
Alyokhina S. Thermal Analysis of Certain Accident Conditions of the Dry Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage // Nuclear Engineering and Technology. – 2018. – V. 50, Iss. 5. – P.717-723, DOI: 10.1016/j.net.2018.03.002.
Argentina / CNEA / Cuyo University
PhD Thesis
Lucia Buitrago, PhD thesis, Balseiro Institute, Cuyo University, Argentina
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2017
Alyokhina S. Unsteady heat exchange at the dry spent nuclear fuel storage / S.Alyokhina, A.Kostikov // Nuclear Engineering and Technology. – 2017. – V.49, Iss.7, Oct. – P. 1457-1462
Argentina / CNEA / San Martin University
PhD Thesis
Adrian Gomez, PhD thesis, in advance, Sabato Institute of Technology, San Martin University (UNSAM), Argentina
European Commission / JRC Karlsruhe
Paper
2016
NASYROW R., et al., Bending Test Device for Mechanical Integrity Studies of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods, Proceedings of PATRAM 2016 Kobe (Japan), Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Mount Laurel, NJ (2016).
Argentina / CNEA / Cuyo University
PhD Thesis
Florencia Malamud, PhD thesis, Balseiro Institute, Cuyo University, Argentina
Rep. of Korea / KAERI
Presentation
2019
HONG, J-D., KIM, E., KIM, S. G., YANG, Y-S., KOOK, D-H, Zircaloy-4 cladding degradation tests under simulated dry storage conditions - creep and delayed hydride cracking, Pres. Intl High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Meeting 2019, April 14-18, 2019, Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville, TN
Argentina / CNEA
Paper
2019
VICENTE ALVAREZ, M. A., SANTISTEBAN, J. R., DOMIZZI, G., OKASINSKI, J., ALMER, J., Elastic strain tensor of zirconium hydrides in Zr2.5%Nb pressure tubes by synchrotron X-ray diffraction, J. Appl. Cryst. 52 (2019) 1128–1143
Spain / Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Enresa)
Paper
2016
MARTIN-RENGEL, M.A. RUIZ-HERVAIS, J., GOMEZ-SANCHEZ, F.J., RICO, A., RODRIGUEZ, J., “Determination of the Mechanical Properties of Blisters by Nanoindentation”, Top Fuel 2016 Proceedings, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (2016)
Argentina / CNEA / Cuyo University
PhD Thesis
Alvaro Moya Riffo, PhD thesis, Balseiro Institute, Cuyo University, Argentina
United States of America / EPRI
Report
2018
ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Roadmap for the Industrywide Learning Aging Management Program (i-LAMP): For Neutron Absorber Materials in Spent Fuel Pools, Rep. EPRI-3002013122 EPRI, Palo Alto, CA (2018).
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2019
Alyokhina S. Thermal state of ventilated storage container with spent nuclear fuel under normal operation. / International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology. No.4, Vol.13, 2019. – P4, Vol.13, 2019. – P. 381-398. – DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2019.106056.
Ukraine / A.M. Pidgorny Institute for Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Paper
2019
Alyokhina S., Matsevity Y., Dudkin V., Poskas R., Sirvydas A., Rackaitis K., Zujus R. Comparative analysis of numerical methods used for thermal modeling of spent nuclear fuel dry storage systems // Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Iss. 5, 2019, P. 75-79.
United Kingdom / Imperial College (NNL)
Paper
2018
THOMAS, R.N., et al., Permeability of observed three dimensional fracture networks in spent fuel pins, J. Nucl. Mat. 510 (2018) 613–622