Once spent fuel has cooled in the pool for several years, it can be loaded underwater into a steel canister, drained, dried, backfilled with helium and welded shut, then placed in a concrete or steel overpack on an outdoor pad or in a vault. Natural air circulation removes the remaining heat, and the thick walls provide shielding. Loading campaigns are major projects with their own dose, heavy-lift and criticality safety planning.
Dry cask storage campaign starts Monday, eight canisters this summer to free up rack space.
Also heard as
- dry storage
- dry cask
Related terms
Spent fuel pool
A deep, water-filled pool at a reactor where used fuel is stored to cool and to shield its radiation.
Decay heat
Heat produced by radioactive decay of fission products after a reactor shuts down, which must be removed.
Safeguards
The verification system that checks nuclear material is not diverted from peaceful use to weapons.
Radwaste
Radioactive waste produced by nuclear facilities, and the plant department that processes and ships it.