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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.
Shigeki Shiba, Tomohiro Sakai
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 2 | February 2022 | Pages 371-383
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2021.1913032
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Purdue Advanced Reactor Core Simulator (PARCS) three-dimensional neutron kinetics code and the TRACE nuclear systems analysis code were interfaced. This provides a best-estimate coupled code system for performing transient plant calculations with reactivity feedback from a detailed core model, significantly contributing to nuclear power plant safety analyses. This study performed steady-state and transient simulations of Peach Bottom 2 Turbine Trip Test 2 (PB2 TT2) using the CASMO5/TRACE/PARCS coupled code. Consequently, CASMO5/TRACE/PARCS simulates the rapid positive reactivity addition caused by the sudden closure of the turbine stop valve. Specifically, the discrepancy in the maximum total power during the transient condition was within 3% compared with the PB2 TT2 experimental data. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the thermal-hydraulic channel (CHAN) component modeling in the coupled CASMO5/TRACE/PARCS code revealed that the number of CHAN components influenced the assembly radial power peaking factor in the PB2 TT2 transient calculation.
