Categorization of Used Nuclear Fuel Inventory in Support of a Comprehensive National Nuclear Fuel Cycle Strategy

An assessment of the used nuclear fuel (UNF) inventory and the RD and D needs has estimated that access to ∼1700 MTHM of the existing commercial UNF inventory should be retained to support the DOE-NE Fuel Cycle Technology mission. The quantity was determined based on projected RD and D needs and practical considerations for access to a sufficient quantity of representative samples of the diverse commercial UNF inventory to support UNF storage, transportation, and disposal; access to high-burnup UNF representative of future discharges in quantities sufficient to support fuel cycle technology development; and a sufficient margin to provide assurance that future retrievability from disposal will not be necessary. The main conclusion of this assessment is not the specific amounts or specific assemblies for retention and disposal but rather that access to some small fraction of the existing UNF should be retained, while the remainder can proceed to disposal without the need to ensure retrievability for reuse or research purposes. Because a repository is not anticipated to be available for more than a decade, time is available to refine, if needed, the specific amounts and select specific assemblies as the RD and D programs proceed and the associated UNF material needs are better defined. Finally, note that categorization of UNF for disposal does not require a determination that it has no value. In principle, all irradiated fuel has some potential value as an energy source. The determination instead supports a comprehensive national fuel cycle strategy.