Spent fuel handling

Fig 8 Clad temperature evolution during 5 kW spent fuel handling... 

Safety Assessment Document for the Spent Fuel Handling and Packaging Program Demonstration at the Nevada Test Site, NVO-I98, U.S. Department of Energy (DeC. 1978). 

M. H LIPNER and J. M. RAVETS. Nuclear Criticality Analyses for the Spent Fuel Handling Packaging Pro-, gram Demonstration." WAES-TME-2928. Westinghouse Advanced Energy Systems Division (Ian. 1979). -... 

The minimum distance from fhe spent fuel handling and storage facility to the controlled area boundary must be at least 100 m. The controlled area is the immediately surrounding area for which the licensee, that is, nuclear power plant, exercises authority. 

Paralelly to the reactor hall decontamination the improved equipment for damaged spent fuel handling and preparation for transfer based on gravitational drainage was developed with safety features including fire protection (argon atmosphere). The facility is now under active test, the first transport performed last month. 

In addition, procedure and/or administrative cotnrols will be provided to ensure safe operation for the fuel building overhead crane and spent fuel handling machine, and to control the safe load path and safe lifting practice. 

APIOOO spent fuel handling is being evaluated in a series of separate studies that will present a detailed safety assessment of the processes and equipment associated with spent fuel handling for the APIOOO, identifying claims, arguments and evidence that demonstrate them to be adequately safe. 

It should be noted that the PRA does not currently include an evaluation of the radiological risk during new and spent fuel handling. 

A full suite of design requirements associated with the mechanical handling system during fault conditions and their substantiation will be presented in the APIOOO Spent Fuel Handling Topic Report (Reference 6.4). 

WEC, UKP-GW-GLR-TBC, APIOOO Spent Fuel Handling Topic Report, to be issued. 

Spent fuel handling areas (i.e. fuelling machines, the dry fuel store, the fuel dismantling cell, the fuel storage pond and the loading bay for fuel transport flasks) ... 

Spent fuel handling. Spent fuel is taken from the core and transferred to a tank in the lower part of an in-vessel transfer machine. This is done by a fuel handling machine of the pantograph fixed-arm type. After the fuel has been removed from the reactor vessel with an exvessel transfer machine, it is transferred through a containment equipment hatch. Later it is stored in a fuel cooling pond after sodium cleaning. 

Adherence to the above principles during the design of spent fuel handling systems in storage facilities requires that ... 

Spent fuel handling and transfer equipment and systems might include ... 

Where, in the interests of safety, the operating organization of spent fuel handling systems is likely to require information on the non-visible state of the equipment or components, the design shall include provision effectively to transmit such information to the operator through appropriately located indicator systems or alternative means. 

The design of spent fuel handling equipment shall include provision for the related use of portable manual or power operated tools, provided that the planned use of such tools is consistent with the design objectives and that such use shall not compromise the safety of the fuel handling operations. 

Physical protection arrangements which permit access only to authorized personnel shall be provided in order to deter and detect unauthorized access to storage structures or to areas where irradiated fuel is handled or stored. The design of spent fuel storage facilities shall include measures or systems to detect and deter any unauthorized diversion of nuclear materials from spent fuel handling and storage areas. 

A design for safe operation of spent fuel handling and storage systems should include the following ... 

All activities performed to achieve the purpose for which the spent fuel storage facility was constructed, including maintenance, inspection and other associated activities related to spent fuel handling, storage, retrieval and monitoring. 

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