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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.
Selcen Uzun Duran, Ayhan Yazgan, Ümit Alver, M. Bilge Demirköz, Mustafa Aslan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 212 | Number 9 | September 2026 | Pages 2398-2409
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2025.2521579
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this study, on-board computer (OBC) electronic cards designed for cube satellites (CubeSats) containing a 168-MHz STM32F407 processor were shielded against space radiation and were tested. For shielding, a 6-mm-thick “neat” aluminum plate was used to cover the entire surface of the OBC card. The 6-mm-thick aluminum plate with a hole that matched the size of the STM32F407 processor was filled with either a neat epoxy, a 30 wt% amorphous boron added epoxy, a 30 wt% tantalum added epoxy, or a 20 wt% B4C-30 wt% tantalum added epoxy composite used as shielding materials. Structural and morphological properties of the shielding materials were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The OBC cards covered with different shielding materials were irradiated with 30-MeV protons, while the performance of the cards was observed live. Specifically, the outputs of digital input/output (I/O), universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter, direct memory access, and digital-to-analog converter units were monitored during radiation testing, and the first deteriorations were observed in the digital I/O part. As a result of this study, taking into account just the total ionizing dose, shielded electronic boards showed 2 to 10 times higher radiation resistance than unshielded.
