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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Center for Used Fuel Research: Building confidence in storage and transport
Used nuclear fuel storage and transportation have reached a critical juncture.
Dozens of utilities need reliable data on how used nuclear fuel performs in dry storage casks and canisters to extend regulatory licenses at sites across the United States. Likewise, the Department of Energy expects to take ownership of the used nuclear fuel—termed “spent nuclear fuel” in the laws and regulations governing its stewardship—and transfer it to one or more federal staging facilities for management and disposition.
Meanwhile, dozens of reactor companies are testing prototypes of advanced reactors and advanced reactor fuels. Eventually, regulators and industry must also verify the safety and security of storage methods for these advanced fuel types.
To help address these challenges, the DOE established the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) in January 2026 for work related to the long-term storage and transport of used nuclear fuel.
International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference
Technical Session
Thursday, November 17, 2022|1:00–2:45PM MST|Lantana
Session Chair:
David Fukuyama (Sandia)
Alternate Chair:
Tara LaForce (Sandia)
Session Organizer:
Emily R. Stein
To access paper attachments, you must be logged in and registered for the meeting.
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Machine Learning Surrogate Process Models for Efficient Performance Assessment of a Nuclear Waste Repository
1:00–1:20PM MST
Bert J. Debusschere (Sandia), D. Thomas Seidl (Sandia), Timothy M. Berg (Sandia), Kyung Won Chang (Sandia), Rosemary C. Leone (Sandia), Laura P. Swiler (Sandia), Paul E. Mariner (Sandia)
Paper
Studying the Bentonite Buffer for HLW Geological Disposal: Large Scale Field Tests and the Corresponding Modeling
1:20–1:40PM MST
Liange Zheng (LBNL), Sangcheol Yoon (LBNL), Jonny Rutqvist (LBNL), Jens Birkholzer (LBNL)
Experimental Study of Bentonite Buffer for Geologic Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste
1:40–2:00PM MST
Chun Chang (LBNL), Sharon Borglin (LBNL), Chunwei Chou (LBNL), LianGe Zheng (LBNL), Yuxin Wu (LBNL), Timothy J. Kneafsey (LBNL), Seiji Nakagawa (LBNL), Jens T. Birkholzer (LBNL)
Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Modeling for a High Temperature Heating and Hydration Column Experiment
2:00–2:20PM MST
Sangcheol Yoon (LBNL), Sharon Borglin (LBNL), Chun Chang (LBNL), Chunwei Chou (LBNL), Liange Zheng (LBNL), Yuxin Wu (LBNL)
1-D Multiphase Simulation of Bentonite Saturation Using PFLOTRAN: Preliminary Results
2:20–2:40PM MST
Carlos F. Jové Colón (Sandia), Carlos M. Lopez (Sandia), Kristopher L. Kuhlman (Sandia)
