IAEA/USA Interregional course on
Preparations to Ship Spent Nuclear Fuel (1997)

SAVANNAH RIVER SITE APPENDIX A AGREEMENT
PREPARATION GUIDELINES

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IAEA/USA Interregional Training Course

Technical and Administrative Preparations Required for Shipment of Research Reactor Spent Fuel to its Country of Origin

13-24 January 1997
Argonne, IL

Lecture L.3.1

 

MTR FUEL CLASSIFICATION

SAVANNAH RIVER SITE
APPENDIX A AGREEMENT
PREPARATION GUIDELINES

by

Trent C. Andes
Spent Fuel Storage Division
Westinghouse Savannah River Company

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Appendix A

• Contract/Agreement between the Department of Energy (i,e., U.S. Government) and Domestic or Foreign Reactor Facilities to assume ownership of specified materials to be received at the Savannah River Site.
  
  
• Provides detailed description of specified materials.
  
  
• Utilized by Savannah River Operations as the basis for safety analysis documentation (i.e., Criticality, Final Disposition, Facility Standards).
  
  
• Required 180 days prior to tentative shipping date.

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Appendix A Form Requires:

• Customer (or Reactor Operator) contact information
  
  
• Drawing identification
  

Drawings typically include:

- Overall assembly
- Fuel elements (plates or tubes)
- Compacts
- Side plates
- End fittings
- Spacers/combs
- Dummy plates
- Handles/grips

Important: Six (6) copies of all drawings are required at time of Appendix A submittal.

• Material description
  

Important: All dimensions are to be recorded in centimeters.
All weights are to be recorded in grams.

- Nominal fuel "element" description

- Nominal fuel "assembly" description

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Nominal Fuel "Element" Description:

• Fuel element type (plate or tube)
  
  
• Dimensions
  Total element, fuel meat, cladding
  
  
• Weights
  Total element, fuel meat, and constituents (U, 235 U , Matrix), cladding
  
  
• Chemical form of fuel meat
  UAlx-Al, U3O8 -Al, U3Six -Al
  
  
• Method of sealing cladding and fuel meat
  

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Nominal Fuel "Assembly" Description:

• Total number of elements
  
  
• Dimensions
  Overall assembly, side plates, end boxes or fittings, spacers
  
  
• Weights
  
  - Overall assembly, total assembly U content,
  total assembly 235U content, side plates,
  end boxes or fittings, spacers
  
  - Percentage of 235U enrichment
  
  - Canning description
  Applicable for failed, distorted, or disassembled fuel assemblies
  

Important:

If the assembly has been cropped/cut:

- Drawings should indicate crop lines

- Dimensions and weights should be reflected in the descriptions

- Unique assembly identification numbers should be intact

Sodium bearing assemblies are not
authorized for storage at the SRS.

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Appendix A Form Requires (cont.):

• Fuel identification
  
  - List of the specific identification numbers for assemblies described in this contract
  
  
• Fuel irradiation specifications

- General history of the specified assemblies in terms of:

• Time in reactor
• Power level
• Burn-up
• Last date of criticality

- Post-irradiation isotopics for the average fuel assembly

• Fuel irradiation history for the specific assembly
  
  
• Match specific assembly to its:

- Pre-irradiation U and 235 U content

- Post-irradiation isotopics

- Operating history

- Decay heat

• Specifications for failed/warped fuel assemblies
  
  
  • Notification shall be made to DOE of any fuels with questionable physical integrity. A minimum of 270 days notice in advance of the tentative shipping date is required.
    
    
• Cask and basket identification

- List cask and basket combinations utilized in shipping the specified assemblies.

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Savannah River Contacts:

Jay Thomas, WSRC, (803) 557-9526

Trent Andes, WSRC, (803) 557-9483

Peggy Brooks, WSRC, (803) 557-9989

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