The Department of Energy’s nuclear remediation contractor at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is preparing to accept used fuel from Penn State University that could assist with both energy and medical research, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said recently.
INL can accept Training, Research, Isotope, General Atomics (TRIGA-) fuel for the first time in decades after the state and federal government signed a waiver to the 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement. The revised agreement set cleanup milestones at INL, DOE said in an April 14 press release.
This sort of used fuel is typically found in university research reactors, according to the release.
DOE said the laboratory’s Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center fabrication shop and Amentum-led contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition have used special tools to make stainless steel sheets, bases and lids for the used fuel canisters.
“Their work not only supports the safe storage of TRIGA fuel but also reinforces our commitment to advancing cleanup and critical research at the INL Site and at universities across the country,” Idaho Environmental Coalition Used Nuclear Fuel Project Manager Carla Ellsworth said.