
Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste
Since the 1990’s, the federal government has faced tremendous challenges to their obligations to receive and dispose of research, weapons-related, military, and commercial power plant spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level waste (HLW). Holtec Government Services (HGS) brings the application and management of proven commercial sector technology for essentially all forms of SNF and HLW handling, packaging, transport, and storage systems. HGS will deliver proven, U.S. manufactured SNF and HWL canisters, casks, and handling equipment. HGS has the capabilities needed to meet federal sector technical, regulatory, and program needs and to provide compliant management of the HGS federal projects.
HGS’s commercial sector technology is efficiently and quickly adaptable to federal (US DOE-EM) spent fuel, US Navy spent fuel, and US DOE defense HLW inventories. The technology has over 30 years of commercial industry success and is in extensive domestic and international use. The technology also has domestic and international regulatory acceptance through the respective national nuclear regulatory agencies.
HGS has the specialized knowledge and experience to adapt the commercial sector SNF and HLW technology to the US DOE and US Navy spent nuclear fuel, GTCC, and defense HLW management needs. The technology and manufacturing capability of HGS through Holtec International is readily and efficiently adaptable and cost effective. Its availability with reasonable lead times is positioned to support the federal government’s commitments to the various state governments regarding removal of the states’ respective material inventories. Perhaps the most significant advantage to HGS capabilities is the extensive Licensing experience. The HGS storage, handling and transportation systems are adaptable for nearly any waste form or fuel type through amendments to Certificates of Compliance faster than any firm in the USA.
The physical configurations and nucleonics; radiation shielding and confinement; and structural designs of the canisters, casks, and other system components have sufficiently broad ranges of their controlling parameters to generally require only modest modification to accommodate the unique properties of the federal nuclear materials.
HGS provides the project management and coordination of Holtec International technical and manufacturing activities necessary to adapt the SNF or HLW technology for use in the federal projects’ environments, such as:
- Provide the principal interface and project management function for federal customers providing services through either HGS direct resources or through a “matrixed management” approach to using Holtec International resources and capabilities (engineering, design, analytical capabilities, manufacturing and field services);
- Provide and manage the federal programs, procedure, and program infrastructure necessary for execution of technical, manufacturing, and field activities by either HGS or Holtec International resources to meet business, quality, nuclear, construction, and similar related agency-specific program needs. Implement effective and compliant federally based programs for:
- quality;
- nuclear safety;
- radiological safety;
- environmental protection;
- occupational health, safety and industrial hygiene;
- project management and controls (planning scheduling, cost control, earned value);
- safety conscious work environment;
- human resources, and,
- contract assurance
- Manage the required federal licenses, certification, or other authorizations necessary to support the work.
- Provide the Holtec focal point for both HGS and Holtec International customer relations activities.
HGS is fully integrated with Holtec International for federal projects.
Holtec International is a world leader in storage and transport technologies for civilian and military waste. Over 100 nuclear plants in 16 countries rely on Holtec’s casks and canisters to store and transport their nuclear waste. In the commercial nuclear industry, they include the whole range of fuel types including Western and Russian-origin fuel. Holtec’s storage systems for high level military waste have been provided to the US Navy. Our casks and canisters are designed, built and licensed with abundant thermal, structural, radiological and nuclear safety margins that, combined with their configurations make them economically and expeditiously adaptable to federal needs.
Some unique aspects of Holtec’s nuclear waste technology adaptable to the federal agency needs are:
- Thanks to the patented nanotechnology-based structural and reactivity control competent Material (Metamic HT), our SNF casks have a larger payload and greater heat dissipation capability than their peers in the industry.
- Patented SNF drying system (see photo below) that is indispensable for drying aluminum- clad and severely water-logged Zirc or stainless clad fuel.
Active USNRC Dockets for Holtec International’s Cask
(High Level Fissile and Non-Fissile Nuclear Waste)
System Name | Docket |
HI-STORM 100 (Storage) | 72-1014 |
HI-STAR 100 (Storage) | 72-1008 |
HI-STAR 100 (Transportation) | 71-9261 |
HI-STAR 180 (Transportation) | 71-9325 |
HI-STAR 180D (Transportation) | 71-9367 |
HI-STAR 60 (Transportation) | 71-9336 |
HI-STAR 63 (for the Candu reactor) | ROK-MOST |
HI-STAR 330 (ATB-1T for High Level Non-Fissile Waste) | 71-9375 |
Holtec Quality Assurance Program (for Storage and Transportation Casks and Canisters) | 71-0784 |
HI-STORM FW (Storage) | 72-1032 |
HI-STORM UMAX | 72-1040 |
HI-STORE CIS | 72-1051 |
HI-STAR 190 Universal Transport Cask | 71-9373 |
HI-STAR 180L (Transport cask for high burn-up BWR Fuel) | |
HI-STAR 150 (Light weight transport cask) Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) | |
HI-STAR 100MB (Medium weight transport cask for Canisterized and bare basket fuel) | 71-9378 |
HI-STAR 80 (Transport) | 71-9374 |
State-of-the-Art Solutions to Managing the Backend of the Nuclear Power Cycle
Please click on the images below for additional information.