IAEA-TECDOC-1519 Data Requirements and Maintenance of Records for Spent Fuel Management: A Review November 2006 IAEA-TECDOC-1519 Data Requirements and Maintenance of Records for Spent Fuel Management: A Review November 2006 The originating Section of this publication in the IAEA was: Radiation and Transport Safety Section International Atomic Energy Agency Wagramer Strasse 5 P.O. Box 100 A-1400 Vienna, Austria DATA REQUIREMENTS AND MAINTENANCE OF RECORDS FOR SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT: A REVIEW IAEA, VIENNA, 2006 IAEA-TECDOC-1519 ISBN 92–0–111706–X ISSN 1011–4289 © IAEA, 2006 Printed by the IAEA in Austria November 2006 FOREWORD One of the vital issues for long term management of spent fuel is the retention of appropriate information which must accompany the spent fuel itself for the time span required down to its endpoint. Due to safety, safeguards and security implications, as well as for operational needs, the significance of spent fuel data management will persist as long as the spent fuel has to be managed for its lifetime. Data collection and maintenance for spent fuel are required from the earliest phase of any project for spent fuel management. From a practical point of view, however, it is a challenge to define which data must be retained, for how long it must be kept and by what methods. Spent nuclear fuels contain some nuclides of special importance in data management. While the fissile content is the key interest for recovery by reprocessing, the minor actinides are of principal concern in the case of spent fuel disposal because of their long half-life and radio- toxicity. The recent concept of total cycle management in repository performance requires accounting of all the nuclides data, while data on the spent fuel content is required for such a case as direct reuse of spent fuel by re-fabrication without separating particular radio- nuclides. It is quite obvious that adequate data must be available when necessary, in order to make an informed decision either for technical or administrative issues. In the area of radioactive waste management, several TECDOCs have been issued by the IAEA on related subjects, i.e. • IAEA-TECDOC-1097, Maintenance of Records for Radioactive Waste Disposal (1999). • IAEA-TECDOC-1222, Waste Inventory Record Keeping Systems (WIRKS) for the Management and Disposal of Radioactive Waste (2001). • IAEA-TECDOC-1398, Records for Radioactive Waste Management up to Repository Closure: Managing the Primary Level Information (PLI) Set (2004). Whereas some of the information provided by these publications is applicable to spent fuel management, there are technical particularities pertaining to spent fuel management. This TECDOC is intended to provide additional information, by reviewing issues and identifying relevant data required for spent fuel management. The contributions from various experts to this TECDOC work are highly appreciated. The IAEA officer responsible for this publication was J.S. Lee of the Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology. EDITORIAL NOTE The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries. The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Background ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Objective and scope ............................................................................................... 1 1.3. Identity of spent fuel .............................................................................................. 2 1.3.1. Spent fuel form........................................................................................... 3 1.3.2. Spent fuel content....................................................................................... 3 1.3.3. Simulation of spent fuel flow or cycle ....................................................... 3 1.4. Life time management of spent fuel information................................................... 4 1.4.1. Spent fuel data and database ...................................................................... 4 1.4.2. Record keeping........................................................................................... 5 1.5. Structure of the publication.................................................................................... 5 2. DATA NEEDS FOR SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT................................................... 6 2.1. Data associated with spent fuel management......................................................... 6 2.1.1. Types of fuel............................................................................................... 6 2.1.2. Generation of fuel data............................................................................... 7 2.1.3. Classification of spent fuel......................................................................... 8 2.1.4. Failed (damaged) fuel................................................................................. 8 2.2. Data requirements for spent fuel management....................................................... 9 2.2.1. Spent fuel storage facilities ........................................................................ 9 2.2.2. Spent fuel transportation systems............................................................. 11 2.2.3. Disposal facilities..................................................................................... 12 2.2.4. Reprocessing facilities.............................................................................. 13 2.2.5. Advanced and/or special treatment technologies ..................................... 15 2.3. International obligations....................................................................................... 18 2.3.1. IAEA Safeguards Agreements ................................................................. 19 2.3.2. IAEA safety standards.............................................................................. 23 2.3.3. The “Joint Convention”............................................................................ 25 3. SPECIFICATION ON SPENT FUEL DATA................................................................ 26 3.1. Data parameters.................................................................................................... 26 3.2. Reliability of spent fuel data ................................................................................ 26 3.3. Specification on spent fuel by data parameters.................................................... 27 3.3.1. Pre-irradiation data................................................................................... 27 3.3.2. Irradiation data ......................................................................................... 30 3.3.3. Post-irradiation description ...................................................................... 31 3.3.4. Data specification for spent fuel management facilities .......................... 34 4. LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT OF SPENT FUEL DATA.......................................... 37 4.1. Responsibility of data management ..................................................................... 37 4.1.1. Origin of data on fresh fuel ...................................................................... 37 4.1.2. Reactor operator ....................................................................................... 37 4.1.3. Operator of subsequent back end facility................................................. 38 4.2. Development and maintenance of spent fuel database......................................... 38 4.2.1. Database for spent fuel inventory............................................................. 38 4.2.2. Development of spent fuel database......................................................... 39 4.2.3. Types of data ............................................................................................ 39 4.2.4. Verification of data................................................................................... 42 4.2.5. Auditable by regulators/fuel users............................................................ 43 4.2.6. Enhancement of data reliability................................................................ 43 4.3. Lifetime management of spent fuel data.............................................................. 44 4.3.1. Record keeping......................................................................................... 44 4.3.2. Backup of data.......................................................................................... 45 4.3.3. Search for record keeping methods for long period of time .................... 45 4.4. Maintenance of records ........................................................................................ 45 4.4.1. Records maintenance responsibility transfer............................................ 46 4.4.2. Elimination of unnecessary data .............................................................. 47 4.4.3. Inspection of spent fuel database ............................................................