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WK80 New Guide for Drying Behavior of Spent Nuclear Fuel

Developed by Subcommittee: C26.13
See Related Work by this Subcommittee
Date Initiated: 02-07-2003

1. Scope

The standard guide on drying behavior of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) is intended to provide spent fuel owners and regulators with consistent guidance for evaluation of SNF drying issues. The guide addresses drying methods and their limitations in drying nuclear fuels that have been stored in contact with water. The sources and forms of water that may remain in SNF and/or its container after drying are identified and discussed in terms of their importance and the potential effects they may have on fuel integrity, and container materials. The effects of residual water are discussed mechanistically as a function of the container thermal and radiological environment to provide guidance on situations that may require extraordinary drying methods, specialized handling, or other treatments.

Most commercial and research reactor spent nuclear fuel was initially irradiated in a water environment and/or stored in water after irradiation to remove the heat generated by radioactive decay of fission products from irradiation. Whenever this fuel is prepared for dry handling or storage, residual water and environmental changes may become important considerations.

The basic issue in drying is to determine how dry the SNF must be in order to prevent issues with fuel retrievability, container pressurization, or container corrosion. Adequate dryness may be readily achieved for undamaged commercial fuel but may become a complex issue for some research reactor fuels and any SNF where cladding damage has occurred in some percentage of the fuel during or after irradiation. Dryness issues may also result from the presence of sludge, CRUD, and other hydrated compounds connected to the SNF that hold water and resist drying efforts.

Keywords

The title and scope are in draft form and are under development within this ASTM Committee.