Fuel element disposal management

Our service helps nuclear power plant operators to carry out the placement of spent fuel elements in transport and storage casks in a technically and economically optimal way. This ensures that the capacity of the wet storage pool is always sufficient for the safe operation of the nuclear power plant.

Functions

  • Determination of the quantities of fuel elements to be disposed of (short-, medium-, long-term)

  • Optimization of the disposal of high burn-up U and MOX fuel assemblies

  • Performance of necessary source term calculations

  • Determination of the earliest possible time for loading fuel assemblies into the transport and storage casks

  • compilation of fuel assembly inventories for the cask loadings

  • Preparation of fuel assembly and cask loading documentation

  • Assessment of transport and storage casks for high burn-up U and MOX fuel assemblies

  • Optimization of medium- and long-term disposal planning

Solutions

  • Concept development (fuel assembly quantities, container requirements, loading dates, ...)

  • Creation of a fuel element disposal database (power histories, source terms, minimum decay time, ...)

  • Calculation of the fuel source terms (radiation source strengths, decay power, activity inventory)

  • Cask loading planning (fuel assembly selection, positioning in the cask according to the ALARA principle, ...)

  • Execution of the safety-related fuel element verification (fulfilment of the technical acceptance conditions, etc.)

  • Coordination and compilation of the cask loading documentation (before and after loading)

  • Recommendations for the further development of the safety-related fuel element verification (calculation of the cask surface areas dose rate)

Utility

  • Avoidance of capacity bottlenecks in the wet storage basin

  • Reduction of radiation exposure of personnel

  • Better utilization of containers with further developed safety-related verification

  • Cost advantages through customized solutions from a single source

Customer

  • Nuclear power plants Gundremmingen B and C, Biblis A and B and Emsland