Year
1997
Abstract
Over 85,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) will have been generated by the current U.S. commercial nuclear power industry over the next 20 years. This SNF, along with a wide range of high level nuclear waste (HLNW), will need to be safely stored and eventually transported and placed into a national waste repository. An improved new shielding material (patent pending) has been designed to provide optimal neutron and gamma radiation shielding for SNF and HLNW. This new shield also has superior heat transfer characteristics. The shield is composed of waste products from the nuclear and petrochemical industries which, when combined and treated, become an environmentally benign substance suitable for direct emplacement in a future geologic repository. This new shield design is ideal for use in SNF and HLNW storage, transport, and disposal casks resulting in smaller, lighter, and less expensive casks than comparable current designs. A typical 24 SNF assembly storage cask would use a shield wall which is 50%- 70% thinner than current concrete cask designs and would eliminate the need for internal heat removal air passages. Key shielding, thermal, and chemical properties are presented to demonstrate its capabilities and environmentally benign nature. Cost estimates are also provided for typical cask designs.