Project Details
Problem Statement
Vendors are beginning to request credit for burnup in boiling water reactor (BWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The NRC staff requires a technical basis for reviewing and acting on these applications.
Technical Approach
A series of 10 Tasks have been identified to examine important aspects of BWR operations and their potential impacts on burnup credit (BUC). The main areas of interest are axial moderator and burnup distributions, control blade usage, operating conditions, and validation.
Benefit
A portion of the discharged BWR SNF inventory cannot be stored in current storage and transportation systems with a fresh fuel assumption. BWR BUC will allow for storage and transportation of all SNF.
Sponsor
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
Partner
Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division Reactor Physics Group
Project Manager
William (B.J.) Marshall
Principal Investigator
William (B.J.) Marshall