ML23298A031

Advanced Fuel Cycle Storage and Transportation Research

ML23298A031
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Issue date:	10/26/2023
From:	NRC/RES/DE
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Raj Iyengar 301-415-0770
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Download: ML23298A031 (16)

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Advanced Fuel Cycle Storage and Transportation Research

Reactor Engineering Branch Division of Engineering Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

The views expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This material is declared a work of the U.S.

Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Outline

Advanced Advanced Fuel Cycle Storage & External Reactors & Transportation Research Engagement Fuels &

Licensing Coordination Readiness Preparing for an Increase in New &

Advanced Reactors Preparing for Advanced Fuel Cycle Licensing NRC Research Activities in Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation

Increased interest and Research Activities and Outcome activities in Considerations development of Intended to ensure staff commercial advanced Research Activities: readiness to review near-reactors and their fuels To expand the NRC understanding term licensing/certification of the key technical and regulatory actions, support pre-NRC Assessment: considerations related to these application engagements, Ensure readiness to license the ANLWR fuel types. and inform guidance storage and transportation of various development.

ANLWR fuels within the flexible Considerations:

regulatory framework. May include various waste forms and waste streams, radiochemistry of constituents, storage canister Advanced fuel types include: performance and degradation, Metal fuel, TRISO pebbles, and actinide separation, tritium molten salt fuels. management strategies, and other attributes.

Advanced Fuel Cycle Storage Transportation

• Advanced fuel cycles have several changes relative to those of historic U.S. LWR fuels, which will affect storage and transportation.

• Molten Salts

• Graphite Wastes

• High enrichments from High-Assay Low-Enriched

• The U.S. NRC regulatory framework does not require any major changes, but there are some technical issues being evaluated.

Front end: HALEU and Salt Fuel Advanced Fuel Molten Salt Waste Processing Cycle Storage & Molten Salt Waste Forms Transportation MSR Off-gas Management Research Graphite Waste Management

Guidance (TRISO, Metal, Salt)

• Assessment of potential transportation and preparation of High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium HALEU (HALEU) fuel materials and salt fuel and Salt Preliminary insights include:

Fuel Part 71 appears flexible enough to accommodate HALEU transportation package needs Criticality benchmarks Potential for co-located fuel fabrication facility and MSR Reviewed information related to high-level plans for processing, storing, and transporting MSR salt waste Molten Salt

Key Observations: Reactor Fuels

• Potential for co-located chemical processing facilities

• Tritium management strategies are needed for some designs

• Consider transportation of fuel salt and waste

• Potential need for long term management or immobilization

Future work will look at storage casks and transportation considerations for molten salt waste and potential for salt processing Spent Fuel Reprocessing

2009 Draft regulatory basis 2013 Commission Reprocessing and regulatory approvedrecommendati regulatory gapanalysis framework path on in SECY-13-0093to (SECY-09-0082). 23 forwardsubmitted to develop Part 7X, focus gaps were identified the Commission(SECY-on Gap 5 11-0163) 2011

2021 Rulemaking cancelled.

Beginning efforts to SECY-21-0026, staff Work stopped on Gap 5; "get ready" for any can adequatelyaddress decrease in commercial potential licensing needs interest licensingapplications through the existing regulatoryframework" 2016 2022 Reprocessing Research Activities

EXTERNAL INTERNAL TECHNICAL COORDINATION TO COORDINATION TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT OF GATHER ON TECHNICAL BASIS TO CONSIDERATIONS INFORMATION ON PERSPECTIVES INFORM FOR POTENTIAL AND PRE-GUIDANCE PYROPROCESSING REPROCESSING APPLICATION UPDATES TECHNOLOGIES ACTIVITIES FOSTERING PARTNERSHIPS EPRI

VENDORS PUBLIC

US NRC NGOs International

DOE SDOs NRC is participating as observers for periodicResearch Coordination Meetings between SFERA participants:

• March 2022

• October 2023

Objectives:

To sustain and improve the IAEA's Member States IAEA Coordinated technical knowledge base on the long-term behavior of power reactor spent fuel Research Project (CRP) through sharing and Spent Fuel Research and disseminating information, reporting topical research Assessment (SFERA) carried-out in participating Member States and by documenting on-going spent fuel performance Forward Looking Research

• University Nuclear Leadership ProgramSupports NRCs safety and security mission by awarding university-led research projects relevant to the NRC mission that complement its current research portfolio and help the NRC prepare for upcoming challenges

• Future Focused Research ProgramSupports the identification, prioritization, performance, and monitoring of research activities intended to help the NRC prepare for upcoming challenges that have longer-term ( 3 years) horizons and greater risk opportunities than considered in typical activities

Digital Twins - Licensing Regulatory Modernization Viability Project - Operating Reactors

Integration of Nuclear Nano Key Attributes Safety, Technology - for Remote Security, and Advanced Fuel Operation of Safeguards Applications NPPs advanced fuel types to NRC is assessing various ensure its readiness to license the storage and transportation of these fuels activities looking at front end, Engaged in several research Summary back end and processing aspects of advanced fuel cycles R&D programs that address NRC is monitoring external the challenges of spent fuel waste management Thank you for your attention.