Browsing by Author "Anderson, M"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Forty-nine years of safe storage of research reactor spent fuel at ANSTO
    (International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 2009-10-19) Dimitrovski, L; Anderson, M
    ANSTO permanently shut down its 10 MW research reactor (HIFAR) in January 2007 following 49 years of operation. The shutdown followed the earlier closure of a smaller 100 kW research reactor (MOATA) in 1995. The spent fuel resulting from the operation of the HIFAR and MOATA reactors (2281 elements) was stored in wet and dry storage facilities. Of the 2281 spent fuel elements produced only 19 incurred some degree of “damage”, either physical or chemical. Until recently (2007) some of these elements were still kept in dry storage, awaiting removal and preparation for final shipment. The damaged fuel elements were then removed from the wet storage ponds, some placed inside special sealed cans, and then deposited in the dry storage holes for long term storage. The management of spent fuel remained a very important aspect of the operation of research reactors for ANSTO. For disposition of UK-origin spent fuel arising from the operation of the HIFAR reactor, ANSTO initially elected to ship the irradiated fuel assemblies to the UKAEA in Dounreay, Scotland. With the closure of Dounreay, alternatives were evaluated, and reprocessing of the spent fuel at the La Hague reprocessing plant was selected as the option for the disposition of ANSTO’s UK origin spent fuel. Between 1999 and 2004, a total of 1288 fuel assemblies were sent in four shipments to the La Hague reprocessing plant. For the remaining HIFAR fuel assemblies containing US origin uranium, ANSTO decided to exercise its option to return the fuel assemblies to the USA under the Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel (FRR SNF) acceptance programme. ANSTO’s remaining spent fuel was shipped to the USA in 2006 and 2009 respectively. This paper describes ANSTO’s management of its spent fuel inventory.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Preparation and performance of the largest ever shipment of irradiated HEU fuel elements under the FRR program: the 2006 ANSTO HIFAR spent fuel transport from Sydney to the United States
    (European Nuclear Society, 2007-03-11) Hart, K; Dimitrovski, L; Anderson, M; Anne, C; Adam, J
    The HIFAR reactor was officially shut down on 30 January 2007. The management of spent fuel remains a very important aspect of the operation of research reactors for Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). Between 1999 and 2004, a total of 1288 fuel assemblies were sent in four shipments to the La Hague reprocessing plant. For the remaining HIFAR fuel assemblies containing U.S. origin uranium, ANSTO decided to exercise its option to return the fuel assemblies to the U.S. under the Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel (FRR-SNF) Acceptance program. The shipment consisted of 5 NAC-LWT casks containing 42 fuel elements each and 2 TN-7/2 casks each containing 60 fuel elements each, representing a total of 330 fuel elements. 3 types of fuel elements were part of the shipment: 2 types are cylindrical elements while the third type consists of fuel plates. The handling of large casks like NAC-LWT has required preparatory works like the availability of a reinforced concreted area. The use of NAC Dry Transfer System was necessary because the reactor pool at ANSTO is too swallow to permit a wet loading). This shipment was the largest shipment of HEU (high enrichment uranium) removed from one single facility under the FRR program. After a long maritime voyage, the 7 casks were delivered safely to the DOE site at Savannah River in South-Carolina. © The Authors