| Question |
Answer |
| DCS Overview |
|
| What is dry cask storage DCS? |
Dry cask storage, is a remarkably simple, yet extremely
safe and reliable system that seals used nuclear fuel
in massive airtight steel and concrete canisters that
provide both structural strength and radiation shielding.
The system of concentric cylindrical containers provides
above ground, long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel.
Casks are placed upright on a concrete pad and are hardened
structures capable of withstanding natural disasters
and terrorist attacks. The vertical system is referred
to as dry because the fuel is surrounded by helium gas
rather than water. The canister/cask system is very
robust, about 20 feet in height and 11 feet in diameter,
with a cask wall that is over 2 feet thick and a total
loaded weight of about 360,000 pounds. The inner canisters
and outer casks have no operating equipment requiring
regular maintenance. The fuel is cooled by passive means,
with its heat dissipating via cooling channels in the
outer cask that allow air to circulate naturally on
the outside of the inner canister. This type of storage
is also known as an Independent Spent Fuel Storage System
ISFSI. See Dry Cask Storage Fact Sheet and Dry Cask
Storage Brochure
www.safesecurevital.org/pdf/EntergyDryCaskBrochureNew.pdf
|
| Why use Dry Cask Storage? |
Dry Cask Storage is an efficient and safe way of adding
fuel storage capacity. Dry Cask Storage DCS has been in
use at various nuclear facilities in the United States
since the mid 1980s. It is a proven, safe technology. |
| How prevalent is this technology in the
nuclear industry? |
DCS has been used successfully in the US since the
1980s. About half of the nuclear power plants in US
are either using Dry Cask Storage now or have a project
to implement the capability. (See map of locations at
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/dry-cask-storage.html
)
|
| When will the first casks be stored on the
IPEC ISFSI? |
Entergy plans to be ready to load the first casks and transport them to the ISFSI pad in late 2006. The initial transfer of 192 used fuel assemblies transferred into 6 casks is to be complete before Spring 2007. |
| What state and local permits and NRC licenses
are required for the DCS project? |
The NRC has granted a general license to IPEC to own
and operate an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation
ISFSI under Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations,
Part 72. Entergy can use this license after it has successfully
demonstrated to the NRC that it has complied with all
10CFR72 requirements and is proficient in the use of equipment
and steps needed to perform loading of casks. Local and
state construction and use permits are required, as with
any structure built at IPEC. |
