Melt-Dilute Treatment Technology for Aluminum Based Research Reactor Spent Fuel

The United States Department of Energy has selected the Savannah River Site (SRS) as the location to consolidate and store Aluminum Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF), originating in the United States, from Foreign Research Reactor (FRR) and Domestic Research Reactor (DRR) through the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process. These SNF are either in service, being stored in water basins or in dry storage casks at the reactor sites, or have been transferred to SRS and stored in water basins. A portion of this inventory contains HEU. Since the fuel receipts would continue for several decades beyond projected SRS canyon operations, it is anticipated that it will be necessary to develop disposal technologies that do not rely on reprocessing. The Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Task Team, appointed by the Office of Spent Fuel Management of DOE, assessed and identified the most promising technology options for the alternative disposition of aluminum based domestic and foreign research reactor SNF in a geologic repository. The most promising options identified by the task team were direct/ co-disposal and melt-dilute technologies. The DOE through the SRS has evaluated the two options and has identified Melt-Dilute Treatment Technology as the preferred alternative in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the ultimate disposal of Al-SNF in the Mined Geologic Disposal System