Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

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8. Spent-fuel from reactors is shipped 10% by truck and 90% by rail (45% by a com-
bination of truck and rail using intermodal casks that can be transported by truck
for short distances to a rail siding where they are transferred to a rail car and
45% by rail-only) while shipments from AFR facilities are 100% by rail.
The assumptions made in developing the logistics requirements for the reprocessing
cycle were as follows.
1. A minimum storage period for spent fuel at the reactor basin is one year and at
the reprocessing plant is one-half year.
2. The maximum storage capacity at the reactor averages 7 annual discharges.
3. Fuel that cannot be stored at the reactor basins is shipped to AFR storage
facilities.
4. The reprocessing plant receives and processes spent fuel on a first-in, first-out
basis; that is, the oldest fuel is processed first.
5. Reprocessing capacity is expanded in a pattern similar to the repository receiving
capacity except that here each capacity increment is intended to represent a separate
plant. Each plant has a 2,000 MTHM per year capacity and the second and
third plants are restricted to startups at 5-year intervals. Each plant has a
two-year restricted-throughput startup period, i.e., 700 MTHM in the first year,
1,300 MTHM in the second year and 2,000 MTHM/year thereafter. After 10 years, the
interval between plant startups is restricted to a 3 year minimum.
6. Solidified high-level waste is stored for 5 years at the reprocessing plant before
shipment. TRU wastes can be shipped as they are packaged.
7. If a repository is not available to receive the reprocessing plant wastes, storage
is provided for high-level waste and TRU wastes at a separate independent site.
8. When the repository opens, it receives the wastes on the basis of the oldest waste
first at the same rate they are produced. After 10 years, the receiving rate is
accelerated as necessary to eliminate the storage backlog at the end of the
30th year.
9. When interim storage is required, all wastes flow through the storage facility
until the backlog is eliminated. This assures that the oldest waste is sent to
the repository first.
10. Shipping distances for spent fuel to the reprocessing plant or interim storage and
from interim storage to reprocessing are 1,000 miles. Treated waste shipment dis-
tances from reprocessing or MOX fuel fabrication plants to interim storage are
also 1,000 miles.
11. Shipping distances from the reprocessing or MOX fuel fabrication plants or from
interim storage to a repository are 1,500 miles.