Fuel Canister Stress Corrosion Cracking Susceptibility Experimental Results

The National Spent Nuclear Fuel Program is tasked with ensuring the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-owned spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is acceptable for permanent disposal at a designated repository. From a repository acceptance criteria viewpoint and from a transportation viewpoint, of significant concern is the condition of the container at the time of shipment. Because the fuel will be in temporary storage for as much as 50 years, verification that no significant degradation has occurred to the canister is required to preclude repackaging all the fuel. Many canisters are also being removed from wet storage, vacuum dried (hot or cold), and then placed into dry storage. This process could have a detrimental effect on canister integrity. Research is currently underway to provide a technically sound assessment of the expected canister condition at the end of interim storage.