EM crews at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site continue to transfer spent nuclear fuel baskets to second-generation storage vaults, providing safe long-term storage and reducing risk of corrosion.
Office of Environmental Management
January 23, 2024
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EM crews place a transfer cask over a first-generation vault for a Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station spent nuclear fuel basket at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center at the Idaho National Laboratory Site.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — EM crews at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site continue to transfer spent nuclear fuel baskets to second-generation storage vaults, providing safe long-term storage and reducing risk of corrosion.
The fuel was shipped from the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania in 1974 and has remained in underground storage vaults at the INL Site’s Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) for 50 years.
Due to concerns of corrosion with the fuel, and the first-generation vaults they are stored in, EM crews began transferring the Peach Bottom fuel to second-generation vaults in December 2020. Some first-generation vaults presented elevated concentrations of hydrogen, an indicator of potential corrosion, and were said to be high risk.
The Peach Bottom second-generation vaults have a welded bottom and use a sump to purge water from the vault. Additionally, during transfer of the fuel storage basket, a new support plate and lift point are installed. This configuration reinforces the fuel basket, reduces risk and provides a more controlled long-term storage environment than the first-generation vaults.
During the removal process, crews open the Peach Bottom first-generation vault and place a transfer cask atop the vault. A crane carefully pulls the fuel basket from the underground vault and moves it into the above-ground transfer cask. After a lid is installed to the bottom of the cask, it is secured to a trailer and moved to the second-generation vault. A similar process is followed to place the fuel basket into the Peach Bottom second-generation vault.
To date, crews at INTEC have transferred 23 fuel canisters to the second-generation vaults and have addressed the concerns over fuel baskets previously considered high risk. Only 17 Peach bottom fuel baskets remain in first-generation vaults, and crews anticipate completing up to 10 transfers this fiscal year ending Sept. 30, with the remaining transfers set for completion in fiscal year 2025. Crews will resume transfers this spring when the weather improves.
“Completing the transfers of the remaining 17 Peach Bottom baskets from the first-generation vaults to the second-generation vaults will be a significant accomplishment in mitigating any further corrosion to the fuel,” INTEC Nuclear Operations Director Ken Brewer said. “This fuel will eventually be placed in a package that is ready for transport and storage in a geological repository. Maintaining the Peach Bottom fuel and container integrity is important for that packaging.”
-Contributor: Carter Harrison
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