ML14006A273

NRC Webinar Dry Cask Storage of Nuclear Fuel at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant

ML14006A273
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	12/12/2013
From:	Division of Nuclear Materials Safety I
To:
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Download: ML14006A273 (27)

Text

NRC Webinar Dry Cask Storage of Nuclear Fuel at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant Dec. 12, 2013

Overview of Presentation

• Dry Cask Storage and How It Works

• Licensing & Certification Process

• NRC Inspection & Oversight

• Plans for Dry Cask Storage at Pilgrim

• Summary

Why the Need for Dry Cask?

Reprocessing of spent fuel not an option No national repository for spent fuel to date Pools meant for temporary storage encounter capacity issues

Historical and Projected SNF Discharges

Dry Cask Storage Specific Licensees General Licensees Total ISFSIs

• 65 licensed 80 ISFSI sites in 70 the U.S. 60 Number of ISFSIs 50

• More than 40 1,160 loaded 30 20 dry casks 10 0

Year

Spent Fuel Storage Casks BWR Assembly Decay Heat Curve The Loading Process Stainlesssteel cask is placed into pool Technicians move spent fuel assemblies into the cask

Transfer of Cask into Overpack Welded Canister - Overpack System

Video of Dry Cask Storage Process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mILvWNgggfU

ISFSI Licensing Options Regulated under 10 CFR Part 72 Two Licensing Options:

SiteSpecific License:

Available to any applicants Required for awayfromreactor sites Application submitted to NRC for approval Opportunity for Hearing General License (10 CFR Part 72, Subpart K):

Added in 1990 in response to Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 Available only to nuclear reactor (Part 50/Part 52) licensees Requires use of storage cask certified by NRC through rulemaking (72.214)

Requires site evaluation for compatibility with cask design, subject to inspection (72.212)

This is the option that Entergy is pursuing for Pilgrim

Storage Cask Licensing

& Certification Process

• Technical Areas

• Accidents Considered:

Considered: Earthquakes Fires Structural Thermal Floods Lightning Shielding Criticality Tornado - Air Flow Confinement Materials Blockage Quality Assurance Cask Drops - Cask Tip Over

Flooding Evaluation for Dry Cask Storage Casks must be designed to withstand severe flooding

NRC Inspection & Oversight

• Vendor design and fabrication programs inspected every 3 years by headquarters inspectors

• Initial ISFSI operations program inspected by headquarters and regional inspectors during pad construction through first cask loading

• ISFSI operations program inspected every 2 years by regional inspectors

• Resident Inspectors perform daytoday oversight of plant operations

Pilgrim Dry Cask Storage Plans

• General License (10 CFR Part 50 & 72)

• 18th ISFSI in Region I

• Plant Modifications & Construction in Fall 2013Spring 2014

• Cask Loading in Summer/Fall 2014

• Initial Campaign 3 Casks

Summary

• Since the late 1980s, plant owners have effectively demonstrated that they can safely load spent fuel into dry cask storage systems and transfer loaded casks to ISFSIs

• Pilgrim plans to construct and operate an ISFSI in accordance with the NRCs General License requirements

• NRC has extensive experience in the regulation and oversight of ISFSIs and plans to perform ongoing and comprehensive inspection activities at Pilgrim

Questions Questions may also emailed to opa1@nrc.gov