Interim Storage of Spent Fuel Elements

To increase the interim storage capacity at nuclear power stations compact storage frames have been incorporated into the decay pools. 

Interim storage of spent fuel elements is initially carried out in pools of water at nuclear power stations 

Compact storage sites have been built at nuclear power stations to increase the storage capacity 

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Fabrication of uranium fuel elements Fabrication of mixed oxide fuel elements Interim storage of spent fuel elements... 

EXPERIENCE WITH THE INTERIM STORAGE OF SPENT HTR FUEL ELEMENTS AND A VIEW TO NECESSARY MEASURES FOR FINAL DISPOSAL... 

At the end of the 1970 s the civil reprocessing plant in the USA was closed down for political rea.sons. The spent fuel elements have been stored since then at interim storage sites. The only reprocessing plants operated in Western Europe, those in France and Great Britain, have successively expanded their capacities and have currently a joint capacity of 23001 heavy metal per year. 

The heavy arrows in Fig. 21.1 indicate the steps in the nuclear fuel cycle pres dy used on a large commercial scale. The cycle stops at the spent fuel interim storage facility from here two alternative routes are available, one leading to the uranium-plutonium fuel cycle (reprocessing of the spent fuel elements, as described in the next section) and another leading to final storage of the unreprocessed spent fuel elements. The latter is referred to as the once-through fuel cycle (UOT) option. 

Spent fuel storage facilit. An installation used for the interim storage of fuel assemblies, fuel elements and related components after their removal from the reactor pool and before their... 

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