Method of processing a spent fuel insertion for a PWR type reactor

Purpose: To reduce the volume of spent fuel insertion containing boron for long-term storage. Method: A fuel insertion is decontaminated to remove radioactive substances on the surface, inserted into an airtight chamber, cut into small pieces adapted for long storage, tritium discharged from a cladding tube is withdrawn from the airtight chamber when cutting, and passed through a catalytic reactor to convert it into tritium water. It is then adsorbed to an adsorbing floor, purified atmosphere is circulated in the airtight chamber, and tritium water thus adsorbed and fixed on the adsorbing floor is heated and purged, recovered and fed to a tritium solidifying step. (Yoshihara, H.)