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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.
Bing Hong, Chao Liu, Taosheng Li, Yongfeng Wang, Yanan Li, Mohamed Mazunga
Nuclear Technology | Volume 201 | Number 2 | February 2018 | Pages 174-179
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1406270
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Long counters are widely used for monitoring neutron fluence owing to their constant response in a wide energy range. In this study, an extended long counter named FDS-LC (FDS Long Counter), having a flat response over a wide neutron energy range from 1 keV to 20 MeV, was developed to monitor high neutron fluence. The geometry and basic structure of FDS-LC was optimized by using Monte Carlo simulations, and it consists of the BF3 thermal neutron counter, the inner and outer polyethylene moderators, borated polyethylene absorption layer, and chromium and lead metal neutron multiplier. The parameters such as the effective center, the energy response, and the angluar response of the FDS-LC were estimated using Super Monte Carlo code. The experimental validation of these parameters were performed by using 241Am-Be source and T(d, n)3He neutron source at the China Institute of Atomic Energy in Beijing. The results showed that the fluctuation of the response in the energy range from 1 keV to 20 MeV was less than 12% and the effective center positions were approximately equal to The comparison of the simulation and experimental results of the angular response function showed good agreement with a maximum deviation less than 15.7%.