Preliminary design report for prototypical spent nuclear fuel rod consolidation equipment

The purpose of the Prototypical Consolidation Demonstration Project (PCDP) is to develop and demonstrate the equipment system that will be used to consolidate the bulk of the spent nuclear fuel generated in the United States prior to its placement in a geological repository. The equipment must thus be capable of operating on a routine production basis over a long period of time with stringent requirements for safety, reliability, productivity and cost-effectiveness. Four phases are planned for the PCDP. Phase 1 is the Preliminary Design of generic consolidation equipment that could be installed at a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility or in the Receiving ampersand Handling Facility at a geologic repository site. Phase 2 will be the Final Design and preparation of procurement packages for the equipment in a configuration capable of being installed and tested in a special enclosure within the TAN Hot Shop at DOE's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. In Phase 3 the equipment will be fabricated and then tested with mock fuel elements in a contractor's facility. Finally, in Phase 4 the equipment will be moved to the TAN facility for demonstration operation with irradiated spent fuel elements. 55 figs., 15 tabs