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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.
Haibo Lian, Shengqiang Li, Shengyao Jiang, Hongye Zhu, Yonghong Chen, Bo Feng
Nuclear Technology | Volume 212 | Number 4 | April 2026 | Pages 1005-1018
Regular Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2025.2472543
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In order to meet the needs of offshore platform reactor design, the flow characteristics of the integrated natural circulation reactor under the rolling condition coupling power increase was analyzed and a typical three-dimensional analysis model of natural circulation was established. Computational fluid dynamics methods were used to numerically simulate natural circulation under swing conditions, and the velocity and temperature distribution characteristics during different power changes were analyzed.
The results indicated that there is a more pronounced “overshoot” phenomenon in temperature and flow rate corresponding to the condition of significantly increasing power. The swinging could enhance the internal wall heat transfer flux of the rising heat transfer component. Under conditions of severe oscillation, the descending flow channel has a significant reheating effect on the cold fluid at the outlet of the heat exchanger. For different oscillation cycle conditions, the temperature changing process during the transient process is smoother under the condition of significantly increased power.