A local advisory board wants the Department of Energy to expedite processing of aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel (SNF) stocks at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. During its bimonthly meeting on Nov. 15, the SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) approved a recommendation asking DOE to “accelerate plans and decisions to process its entire inventory of aluminum-clad SNF expeditiously through H-Canyon,” the nation’s only hardened chemical separations plant.
The aluminum-clad fuel was used in reactors at SRS and other DOE sites to produce nuclear materials for the U.S. nuclear weapons program, as well as in department research reactors. Unlike stainless steel or zirconium-clad SNF, the spent fuel in question, in its original form, was intentionally designed with aluminum cladding to make it easier to be chemically dissolved and processed through H Canyon.
The Savannah River Site stores about 2,700 bundles of aluminum-based fuel, with four fuel assemblies per bundle. The site also stores 60 cans of aluminum-based fuel assemblies and 120 aluminum-clad high-flux isotope reactor (HFIR) cores. SRS is authorized to process up to 1,000 of the 2,700 bundles, but also plans to process all 120 HFIR cores currently in storage and could also process another 80 HFIR cores now stored at the facility. The processing campaign began in April 2015 and is slated for completion in 2024. It includes the recovery of highly enriched uranium that is then blended with low-enriched uranium. The final product will be temporarily stored on site before being shipped for use in commercial power reactors.
The CAB said DOE should “accelerate plans and decisions to process its entire inventory of aluminum-clad SNF expeditiously through H-Canyon.” The CAB wants to ensure the material is processed before H Canyon is shut down, which could leave the site holding unwanted waste. A DOE Inspector General’s Office audit released on Sept. 26 found there is no long-term strategy for the facility, which is scheduled for operation through 2024. “The reluctance of DOE to commit to a holistic and long-term strategy to work off its existing aluminum-clad SNF inventory is more likely linked to competing budget priorities,” the CAB wrote.
SRS spokesman Monte Volk said by email that the site has not missed any deadlines regarding the aluminum-clad material; however, “additional funding would allow for additional personnel to be hired and trained such that the processing time could be shortened.”
The recommendation has been sent to DOE headquarters for consideration. The CAB has no final input on a decision, but is considered to represent the best interests of the community surrounding SRS near Aiken, S.C.
The CAB has been a longtime advocate for accelerating SRS missions that involve the treatment of nuclear materials. For example, the board in September approved a recommendation to expedite the SRS liquid waste program by providing adequate funding. The recommendation does not say how much the CAB thinks the liquid waste program needs each year. In fiscal 2015, the South Carolina site received $712 million for liquid waste work; that rose to $784 million for fiscal 2016. Funding for fiscal 2017, which began on Oct. 1, remains frozen at prior-year levels under a continuing resolution set to expire on Dec. 9.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that 80 high-flux isotope reactor cores were stored at the Tennessee Valley Authority.
