Year
2014
Abstract
To support used nuclear fuel waste management system (WMS) architecture studies for the US Department of Energy (DOE), process flow diagrams and node descriptions (PFDNDs) have been developed to describe the various material flow operations in WMS. PFDNDs assist analysts with developing WMS functions and requirements; planning and evaluating scenarios for transportation and storage of used nuclear fuel; and researching dose and duration data for individual processes. PFDNDs contain scenarios examined during recent system architecture studies completed by DOE’s Nuclear Fuels Storage and Transportation Planning Project (NFST). PFDNDs also contain information about potential operations that may occur as part of an integrated used fuel management system, including wet and dry repackaging, bare fuel and canistered fuel handling and transportation, storage operational considerations, and processes that may be necessary for repackaging to accommodate future repository system interfaces. PFDNDs are contained within a Microsoft Visio file, which is the platform for the NFST project. PFDNDs can be navigated using hyperlinks contained within each “worksheet” in the Visio file. The file also contains links to node descriptions explaining the process flow diagrams in more detail. Equipment lists of what might be needed for each operation are included with the node descriptions. The process flow diagrams have a multilayered organization with one main level on top, followed by multiple successive layers underneath. These tiers allow analysts to see the possible paths from reactor sites to a repository from a high level; the tiers also focus on the basic steps involved in performing any individual operation. PFDNDs use information gleaned from public sources and various DOE studies. This work supports the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management’s mission of advancing “nuclear materials management in all its aspects” by presenting the various operations within WMS in an organized and complete manner.