DIABLO CANYON SPENT FUEL STORAGE SELECTED ISSUES CEC
DIABLO CANYON SPENT FUEL STORAGE: SELECTED ISSUES CEC 2015 Joint Commissioner Workshop April 27, 2015 Peter Lam, Ph. D. Administrative Judge Emeritus
DIABLO CANYON SPENT FUEL STORAGE: SELECTED ISSUES • • • Still Waiting for Federal Central Depository NRC Waste Confidence Rule Safety of Spent Fuel Pool Safety of Dry Cask Storage CEC IEPR Recommendations Independent Safety Committee Inquiries
NRC WASTE CONFIDENCE RULE • 1979 Ruling from U. S. Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit • 1984 Waste Confidence Rule Codified in 10 CFR 51. 23 • Rule Updated 1990, and 2010 • 2012 D. C. Circuit Court Decision • Elaborate Plan for Additional Actions
SAFETY OF SPENT FUEL POOL • • • Lack of Containment Very Large Fission Products Inventory Active Cooling High Density Rack Configuration Zr-Cladding Fire Scenarios Large Water Inventory
SAFETY OF DRY CASK STORAGE • • • NRC Certified Dry Casks Relatively Small Fission Products Inventory Relatively Robust Structures Passive Cooling Location in an Open Environment
CEC IEPR RECOMMENDATIONS • 2008 IEPR Recommended that PG&E “Return the Spent Fuel Pools to Open Racking Arrangements as Soon as Feasible” • 2011 IEPR Stated “An Option---Is to Expedite the Transfer of the Older Spent Fuel from Pools into Dry Storage Casks”
INDEPENDENT SAFETY COMMITTEE INQUIRIES • Numerous On-Site Fact Finding Meetings on High Density and Open Racking Arrangements; on Expediting Spent Fuel Transfer into Dry Casks: and Other Pool Safety Issues • Many PG&E Presentations at Committee’s Public Meetings • Formal Committee Recommendations in the 21 st and 23 rd Annual Reports
EXPEDITIZING DRY CASK STORAGE: POLICY & TECHNICAL CONSTRAINTS • • • Federal Rule on Spent Fuel Configuration Waiting Time in the Pool Before Transfer Thermal Limits of The Dry Cask Pad Construction Schedule Cask Availability Plant Staff Availability
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