900,000 GALLONS OF NAVY ATOMIC WASTE AT IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY

Below is my letter to the editor,I'll post more facts later.

THOSE 900,000 GALLONS OF NAVY ATOMIC WASTE ARE A GOLD MINE!

So far, the contractor has been awarded about $1000 per gallon.  That is not small potatoes.  Many ask, “Will it ever work?”  Well, back in January 2004, Bechtel BWXT Idaho, published a report of pilot tests that included chapters like, 2.4 Plugging of Bottoms Outlet and 1.3.4 Plugging of Product Outlet. The Department of Energy does not tell us much about the problems that have led to delays and extra gold for the contractor.

The politicians have jumped into the scene and brag about blocking a small potatoes shipment of spent fuel rods for research purposes to the Idaho National Laboratory.  However, they know better than to attack the United States Navy. The Navy spent fuel continues to flow into Idaho in a program that is run by the same contractor that is working on those 900,000 gallons of Navy atomic waste.

AND HERE IS A LONGER VERSION OF THAT LETTER WITH MORE FACTS:

THOSE 900,000 GALLONS OF NAVY ATOMIC WASTE ARE A GOLD MINE!

So far, the contractor has been awarded about $1000 per gallon. That is not small potatoes. Many ask, “Will it ever work?” Well, back in January 2004, Bechtel BWXT Idaho, published a report of pilot tests that included chapters like, 2.4 Plugging of Bottoms Outlet and 1.3.4 Plugging of Product Outlet. We must be told more about the delays and the extra gold for the contractor.

Many politicians brag about blocking a small potatoes shipment of spent fuel rods for research purposes to the Idaho National Laboratory. However, they do not attack the United States Navy. The Navy spent fuel continues to flow into Idaho in a program that is run by the same contractor that is working on those 900,000 gallons of Navy atomic waste.

I am aware that 25 fuel rods have been removed from assorted locations of the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant in preparation for likely shipment to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Each rod was videotaped during removal. So, the 25 rods will not be shipped to Idaho National Laboratory (INL).  However, INL must maintain its position in fuel research.  INL should review those videos of the spent fuel rods: Was removal of those rods easy with no scratches and fretting? Were any rods bent? Are there mineral deposits (crud) on the rods?

Spent fuel has already been studied at INL under a very similar program; the excuse for the current repetition is that the new game involves fuel with greater exposure. However, the amount of exposure is a small factor in the long term durability of spent fuel in storage. It is a fact that hundreds of spent fuel bundles that are stored in fuel pools have been substantially roughed-up in service. Much of the fuel has been operated with temperatures of the zirconium alloy cladding that are well in excess of the design numbers. INL should investigate the extent of roughing up of all nuclear fuel that is currently in storage; the records are there for INL to study. INL may study of impact of over-temperature and also look for other mechanisms of mishandling such as fretting.

Clearly, there is a lot of work that INL needs to perform, and it goes well beyond the kind of repetitive programs that are the current favorites at DOE.

Robert Leyse
Sun Valley

Here is a related link that has been published in the Idaho Falls Post Register:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/09/14/3986578_letter-spent-fuel-rods.html?rh=1
  

ANDHERE'S  STUFF FROM ELSEWHERE
JULY 29, 2015POSTED IN SAFE USED FUEL MANAGEMENT, WASTE CONFIDENCE

The Safest, Surest Path to Moving Stranded Used Nuclear Fuel

JULY 29, 2015POSTED IN SAFE USED FUEL MANAGEMENT, WASTE CONFIDENCE

At 65 sites in 33 states across the United States, the only thing remaining of the nuclear reactors that reliably pumped out hundreds of megawatts of electricity is the securely stored used fuel tucked away in massive steel and concrete dry cask storage modules. This “stranded fuel” (as the Department of Energy calls it) is first in line for ultimate storage in a federal repository. Unfortunately, the Yucca Mountain federal repository project in Nevada has been delayed long past its original 1998 opening date and has made little progress since 2009.

Now, what to do with the stranded fuel? A company called Waste Control Specialists (WCS) is actively seeking a federal license to expand its existing, operating 14,000-acre hazardous waste facility in Andrews County, Texas, as a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for securely and safely storing used nuclear fuel beginning in 2020 until a federal repository opens for business. The WCS CISF project enjoys clear support from its local community, Governor, and state and federal representatives.

With this option, the United States could finally begin the process of removing stranded used nuclear fuel from local communities and consolidating it at a single, secure site as progress continues toward an ultimate long-term federal facility.

Of course, now you have to move the stranded fuel from where it sits to safe storage in the CISF. To ensure expert used nuclear fuel handling and transportation, WCS partnered with AREVA Inc. and NAC International, both leaders in the global nuclear materials transport and storage industries with decades of experience. Combined, AREVA and NAC’s proven dry storage systems are in place at 62 percent of U.S. used fuel storage sites, including 78 percent of the stranded fuel sites.

The WCS partnership also includes NRC-licensed transport casks for safely moving canisterized used nuclear fuel by rail or truck from stranded sites to a storage facility.

When it comes to storing the used nuclear fuel, the CISF’s robust above-ground modules are constructed of thick reinforced concrete, offering superior high-shielding properties, and are proven to withstand environmental hazards including tornados, earthquakes, and flooding. The internal corrosion-resistant stainless steel canisters incorporate advanced materials and fuel rod support structures that efficiently dissipate fuel heat while offering a streamlined design for ease of transfer from the reactor and transport to storage.

Compared with buried nuclear fuel storage systems, the above-ground structures enable easy loading and access for inspections, monitoring, and maintenance during canister safety programs. The design life of the proposed WCS CISF storage system is 100+ years.

We’re ready today with a near-term interim used nuclear fuel storage solution based on an existing community-approved operating site, an expert partnership of experienced companies, and proven technology for secure and safe transport and storage. This strong team offers the surest path to moving stranded used fuel as it offers the global experts in all phases of the used fuel cycle – from start-to-finish – with more than 50 years of proven performance in used fuel transport and storage.