Performance evaluation of a currently in-use dry storage cask design for spent accident tolerant fuel loading case under normal operation condition

Abstract The aim of this study is to assess the performance of an existing dry storage cask design for accident tolerant fuel loading case and to examine the compliance with the safety limits applied currently for dry storage. In the study, for a dry storage cask design currently in use, criticality calculations, dose rate evaluation and thermal analyses are performed in case of loading with the accident tolerant fuel discharged from a PWR. Firstly, for an accident tolerant fuel selected among the concepts proposed for use in light water reactors, burnup analyses are performed by utilizing the Serpent continuous energy code and spent fuel characteristics are determined. Then, criticality analyzes are carried out by using the Serpent Monte Carlo code for the case of loading the accident tolerant fuel into the selected dry storage cask design. Gamma and neutron dose rates at the outer surface and close distances of the storage cask are determined with the Serpent code. To evaluate the thermal performance of the storage cask, thermal analyzes are performed by using the ANSYS Fluent computational fluid dynamics code. The analysis results are compared with the nuclear safety criteria applied to dry storage casks. Results of the analysis show that the dry storage cask design currently in-use does not exceed the criticality, dose rate and maximum surface temperature limits when loaded with spent accident tolerant fuel.