Development of a used fuel container for nuclear fuel waste

The deep geologic repository (DGR) concept is one of the approaches being considered in Canada for long-term management of used CANDU fuel. The Canadian concept entails encapsulating used CANDU fuel bundles in durable used-fuel containers (UFCs) and burying the UFCs in an engineered repository at depth in the Canadian Shield. Currently, an updated concept for a DGR is being prepared by Ontario Power Generation (OPG). This technical paper describes OPG's studies from 1999 to 2002 that have led to the development of an updated reference UFC design. The updated UFC design holds 324 used CANDU fuel bundles. It consists of an outer corrosion-resistant oxygen-free phosphorousdoped copper vessel and an inner load-bearing steel vessel. The used-fuel bundles are placed within a fuel basket for handling and loading into the UFC. This reference UFC design would be used for future safety assessment and engineering studies.