The U.S. Department of Energy is evaluating the use of multipurpose canisters in the system being developed for the management and disposal of spent fuel from commercial nuclear reactors. This system will consist of a transportation system, a facility for monitored retrievable storage (MRS), and a repository for permanent disposal. The repository will also accept high-level waste, but multipurpose canisters will be used only for commercial spent fuel. Spent-fuel assemblies are metal rods filled with uranium pellets. Most spent fuel is stored under water, in specially designed pools, at the site of the reactor. At many commercial reactor sites, however, the storage capacities of the pools have been exhausted, and the utilities are procuring dry-storage systems from various vendors. Several dry-storage systems are available: concrete casks, metal casks, modular vertical vaults, and modular horizontal vaults. To provide a basis for the decision about using multipurpose canisters, the Department of Energy has recently completed a conceptual design. This paper summarizes the use, operation, design, licensing, and cost of the system.
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