In order to assess the ability of spent fuel assemblies to meet the requirements for transition from one back end fuel cycle step to another, certain characteristics have to be known to support safety and technical assessments.
The CRP will address the work currently being undertaken to determine the characteristics of spent fuel to ensure its safe management throughout storage, transport and disposal.
The overall objective of this Coordinated Research Project is to support and share information between concerned Member States on issues related to the characterization of spent nuclear fuel in the various steps of its management. This will be achieved by gathering information from Member States regarding the approaches to characterization they have taken and are developing for the various steps of SFM, including the validation of models, techniques and procedures, enabling the exchange of information and experiences between Member States with a greater maturity in this area with Member States with limited experience and infrastructures, aiming at compiling this information in an IAEA Technical Report as the CRP output.
Collecting and exchanging information from Member States on the methods they currently use for characterizing spent fuel at the various steps of SFM and how they have been validated.
Sharing information on techniques, systems and codes under development, and their plans for subsequent validation.
Identifying the potential for collaborative work between Institutes.
Enhancing the maturity of knowledge in MSs with limited experience.
Enhance participation of young experts.
Collecting and exchanging information from Member States on the methods they currently use for characterizing spent fuel at the various steps of SFM and how they have been validated.
Sharing information on techniques, systems and codes under development, and their plans for subsequent validation.
Identifying the potential for collaborative work between Institutes.
Enhancing the maturity of knowledge in MSs with limited experience.
Enhance participation of young experts.
The CRP raised partners’ awareness on the topic and allowed them to share their own knowledge and learn what other countries/organizations were doing on the same topical area. Especially during the RCMs, in Sweden and the UK, the technical visits helped a lot demonstrate why characterization of SNF is such an important topic. Regarding the link to the EURAD project, the impact of the CRP was to bring the international perspective to a European project through the members participating in both projects.
The CRP's topic is as relevant today as it was when the project was launched, and many participating countries realized through this project that there are valuable lessons to be learned, which will significantly improve their projects.