Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel and Cesium/Strontium Capsule Status

Presented by Sen Moy - RL

National SNF MeetingNovember 8, 2005

•Dry Storage of N Reactor and Single-Pass Reactor Fuel

•Site-Wide Fuel Consolidation• Fast Flux Test Facility Fuel• Oregon State University Fuel

•Disposition of Cesium and Strontium Capsules

Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Status

Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Status

• Removal of Canistered Fuel at K Basins Complete– Fuel loaded into 386 Multi-Canister

Overpacks, dried, and transferred to Canister Storage Building for final closure weld and interim storage

– Sludge and debris retrieval activities on-going at K Basins

Dry Storage of N Reactor and Single-Pass Reactor Fuel

• Up to 3 additional MCO(s) anticipated for fuel and scrap discovered during sludge removal, some found fuel– Fuel inventoried as unknown SPR, likely PRTR fuel– 2+ SPR elements at B/C Reactor burial grounds– SPR elements/pieces and N Fuel element at KW Basin

• Welding (with N Stamp) completed for 397 MCOs (includes 18 containing Shippingport SNF) – No defects to date – 7 MCOs in sampling/monitoring program will be welded

in future; remaining 1-3 MCOs from K Basins will be welded at that time

Site-Wide Fuel Consolidation

• Deinventory of Fuel from Fast Flux Test Facility On-going

– Loading of non-sodium bonded fuel into Interim Storage Casks ~90% complete; scheduled transfer of remaining fuel to 200 Area in March 2006

– Schedule transfer of sodium bonded fuel to INL beginning in FY2006; Modification of Certificate of Compliance for T-3 Cask on-going

• Oregon State University TRIGA Fuel Retrieval and Transfer to 200 Area Interim Storage Area scheduled to start April 2006.

Disposition of Cesium/Strontium Capsules

• Hanford baseline assumes direct disposal of capsules at Yucca Mountain beginning in 2018

• 1,936 cesium and strontium capsules currently in wet storage at Hanford Site

– 1335 capsules containing cesium chloride

– 601 capsules containing strontium fluoride

– 127 million curies in August 2003

• YMP EIS include capsule inventory within Immobilized High Level Waste. Draft YMP License Application do not address capsule inventory.

Disposition of Cesium/Strontium Capsules

• Tri-Party Agreement milestone due June 2007 to assess viability of direct disposal and submit change request to establish enforceable milestones to achieve cesium and strontium disposition by 2028

• Capsules are designated as RCRA regulated

• RL strategy is to pursue direct disposal to YMP and complete regulatory strategy to exempt/de-list hazardous constituents to allow disposal at YMP

• Complete performance assessment in FY 2006 to support viability assessment