ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
Nuclear Technology
September 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Groundwater data pave the way for Environmental Management Disposal Facility at Oak Ridge
Results of a two-year study of groundwater levels at the site of the planned Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF) in Oak Ridge, Tenn., have been released, revealing that the levels fell at a slower-than-expected rate. The collection of data on groundwater levels during two wet seasons, conducted by the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and the contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge, formed the core of a groundwater field demonstration study which will help inform the final design of the EMDF landfill.
Sven Bader (AREVA), Collin Dolan, Dmytro Zaytsev, Daniel Gryder, Nicholas Cesmat, Qutaiba Enaya, Michael Segura (Univ of North Carolina at Charlotte)
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 568-579
AREVA revisited the Dry Transfer System (DTS) [1] developed in 1996 by TransNuclear (another AREVA subsidiary) under a public-private partnership between the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) and examined the ability to redevelop its design in order to meet potential repackaging needs for used/spent nuclear fuel (UNF). The original purpose of the DTS was to transfer UNF from smaller bolted cask systems to larger bolted cask systems and the proposed redesigned DTS is envisioned to perform repackaging activities from multiple differently designed cask systems, including those with canisters that will require cutting and welding activities. The redesigned DTS is also to provide operational flexibility by allowing for the repackaging of UNF from several cask systems at the same time by providing lag storage and will include a means for examining UNF during repackaging. Finally, the feasibility of redesigning the DTS to be a mobile facility to allow it to be used at multiple reactor sites,especially the “stranded” sites where no spent fuel pools exist, was examined. This paper provides a summary of: the DTS design, which was evaluated by the NRC [2] and portions of which were cold-tested at Idaho National Lab [3]; the revised design criteria for an updated DTS; and conceptual layouts of the revised DTS. A revised DTS is envisioned to provide an important tool for the future management of UNF in preparation for transportation, re-storage, and/or disposal and also provides a means for repackaging UNF in case recovery from a cask/canister system is necessary (e.g., due to extended storage).