Aug 28, 2024 · There are two acceptable storage methods for spent fuel after it is removed from the reactor core: Spent Fuel Pools - Currently, most spent nuclear fuel is safely stored in specially designed pools at individual reactor sites around the country.

Spent nuclear fuel is stored either in spent fuel pools (SFPs) or in dry casks. In the United States, SFPs and casks containing spent fuel are located either directly on nuclear power plant sites or on Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSIs).

Oct 30, 2024 · Spent nuclear fuel refers to the bundles of uranium pellets encased in metal rods that have been used to power a nuclear reactor. Over time, nuclear fuel becomes less able to keep a nuclear reaction going.

Safety of Spent Fuel Storage — 1 What Is Spent Fuel? Nuclear reactors use uranium fuel rods bundled into fuel assemblies to generate the heat that turns generators. These generators produce electricity that powers people’s homes. As it burns in the reactor, this fuel becomes very hot and very radioactive. After about

Mar 24, 2011 · When fuel rods in a nuclear reactor are “spent,” or no longer usable, they are removed from the reactor core and replaced with fresh fuel rods. The spent fuel rods are still highly radioactive and continue to generate significant heat for decades.

IAEA Safety Guide SSG-15 (Rev. 1), Paragraph 1.6: “Storage cannot be considered the ultimate solution for the management of spent fuel, which requires a defined end point such as reprocessing or disposal in order to ensure safety.”

Two different management strategies are used for spent nuclear fuel. In one the fuel is reprocessed to extract usable material (uranium and plutonium) for new fuel. In the other, spent fuel is simply considered a waste and is stored pending disposal.