INL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Science

Standardized Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister

Overview

The U.S. nuclear industry and

its associated infrastructure

continues to generate spent

nuclear fuels, and hazardous/

radioactive wastes that must

be stored for an interim period

of time then shipped to an

authorized disposal facility.

Without engineered protection

during interim storage or

transportation to disposal

sites, an increased risk exists

that these materials could be

released to the environment

due to an accident or intentional action. Such events

could pose threats to people

and the surrounding environment and produce severe

adverse economic consequences.

INL Solutions

During research and development efforts to safely contain

Department of Energy spent

nuclear fuel for eventual

repository disposal, INL

developed the standardized

spent nuclear fuel canister for

the Department. This canister

was designed to minimize

fuel handling during interim

storage, transport and final

disposal operations. (Refer to

the illustration on the reverse

page.)

To maximize the integrity and

safety of a canister during a

potential drop or sudden

impact, the canister design

incorporates an energyabsorbing skirt. This feature

deforms on impact to protect

the canister heads and shell

that enclose the radioactive

materials or wastes. This

durable, robust canister

design is sufficient to withstand operational loads and

accidental drops without

breaching or allowing the

contents to escape. The

overall integrity of the

canister was demonstrated

through multiple drop tests at

varying impact angles

followed by helium leak

testing.

The testing results demonstrated that the canisters were

“leaktight” with leak rates

less than 10-7 standard cubic

centimeters/second.

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Across the Department of Energy complex and commercial nuclear industry there is a

need to increase safety and mitigate potential impacts of handling spent nuclear fuel

and hazardous/radioactive wastes. INL has developed a unique type of canister to

safely handle, store, and transport spent nuclear fuels and hazardous/radioactive wastes –

and can be easily adapted to interface with these wastes by introducing different

canister liners and materials.

INL’s work for the National Spent Nuclear Fuel Program has become

the DOE’s model for safely containerizing spent nuclear fuel.

Although the

standardized canister

was developed for

handling spent nuclear

fuel, it can be easily

adapted to interface

with hazardous and

radioactive wastes

through the

introduction of canister

liners or use of different

canister materials.
INL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

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Business Products

This canister was initially

designed to be welded, yet a

variety of closures systems

including threaded nozzles or

bolted lids with seals can be

incorporated – depending on

the type of material or waste

to be inserted.

Benefits

• Proven robust canister

design

• No-breach capability

demonstrated for severe

accidental drops

• Engineering and testing

capabilities available to

demonstrate product

functionality

• Easily adaptable design for

customer needs and design

specifications.

Customer Service

The Engineering Technology

Division at INL has the

expertise and technology to

provide the engineering and

testing necessary to develop

and demonstrate

the acceptability of size

variation, materials, access,

closure or handling necessary

to fulfill customer-specific

requests.

For more information

INL is a U.S. Department of Energy

national laboratory operated by

Battelle Energy Alliance

D. Keith Morton

(208) 526-1274

Dana.Morton@inl.gov

Philip Wheatley

Manager,

Nuclear Materials Disposition

and Engineering

(208) 526-9348

Philip.Wheatley@inl.gov

Technical Contact

Management Contact

The robust nature of the design and construction of this

multipurpose canister has been proven effective for storing and

shipping spent nuclear fuel and can be adapted to handle hazardous

materials.